French strategy consultancy invests in UK sustainability market

Reflecting the growing UK demand for expertise in sustainability issues such as the decarbonisation of energy and transport, one of Europe’s leading energy consultancies, E-CUBE, today announces the establishment of a new London office. E-CUBE’s UK operations will be led by Chris Warnes, who joins as Managing Director.

E-CUBE is a strategy consulting firm specialising in the energy, environment and transportation sectors. Created in 2009, E-CUBE has 50 consultants and four offices in mainland Europe. Its client work covers the Executive Committee agenda: strategic analysis, economic studies, regulatory studies, marketing studies, organisational changes and the improvement of operational performance.

“This is an exciting time for the UK market,” says Chris Warnes. “The new government is showing strong support for clean energy and aims to be a leader in the fight against climate change, so this is the perfect time to bring E-CUBE’s expertise to the UK.”  

In addition to the prospects for new business development in the UK, E-CUBE’s expansion meets the expectations of its long-standing customers to be able to support them in multiple geographies. Furthermore, it enables a cross-fertilisation of E-CUBE’s expertise between continental Europe and the UK, by providing customers with a broader base of experience and references. 

Chris Warnes joins E-CUBE with over 30 years of experience in the energy sector both with large corporates and as a strategy consultant. He joins from the London office of Oliver Wyman, where he advised UK and European energy companies, network operators and service providers, on formulating their growth strategies, reviewing capital allocation processes, defining decarbonisation roadmaps and improving operational performance. He has notably covered the electricity transmission, biofuel production, electricity storage, and mining sectors. 

Prior to joining Oliver Wyman, Chris spent 15 years at Centrica plc in a variety of leadership roles spanning the Gas and Power value chain, including: Director of the E&P/Nuclear JV Shareholdings; Director, Growth and Development in the Business Solutions unit; SVP Business Planning and Portfolio Management in the E&P business; and Director of Pricing and Hedging at British Gas.

Expressing his enthusiasm for E-CUBE’s prospects in the UK, Chris said: "This is a unique opportunity to join a highly skilled and experienced team that has demonstrated intellectual leadership in many technological, regulatory and market disruption issues in energy and mobility over the past 20 years. We aim to leverage this expertise with in-depth knowledge of the UK’s specific needs to establish E-CUBE as a trusted partner in the UK’s energy and decarbonisation space.”

Pierre Germain, Founding Partner at E-CUBE, said: "We believe that E-CUBE can build bridges between the UK and continental markets: facilitating the transition of its customers from one market to the other and allowing them to capitalise on the best practices of each geography. Chris brings a wealth of impressive experience, and we are delighted to welcome him at this exciting stage of our development.”