Two senior members of staff have been terminated from Robin Hood Energy, as the management team undergoes a shakeup.
Gail Scholes, the former chief executive, and Robert Bains, the former managing director, were both terminated on the 16 December according to documents submitted to the Companies House on 20 December.
Three new senior members of staff will be joining the company, but they are as yet unconfirmed.
An article in the Nottingham Post suggested that it would be David Bird, the ex-managing director of E.On UK and ex-CEO of Co-op Energy, Jeff Whittingham the ex-managing director of Orsted and Mike Thomas, who has worked for a number of utilities including E.On. They will take up the positions of board advisor, interim CEO and interim financial director respectively, suggested the paper.
A spokesperson for Robin Hood Energy told Current±: “We can confirm three new senior executives from energy backgrounds have been appointed to continue our mission of reducing fuel poverty and challenge the Big Six energy companies by putting people before profits.
“Due to an ongoing internal process it’s not appropriate to make any further comment at this stage.”
The shakeup to the management structure comes after a tough year for the energy supplier. Robin Hood Energy was one of four energy companies ordered by Ofgem to pay outstanding Renewables Obligations fees in October.
The company was openly critical of Ofgem’s handling of the fees, stating it had been advised by the regulator that it would be able to pay the fees over a longer period of time.
Due to a loan from Nottingham Council of £9.5 million, which it will now pay off over six months, the company was able to pay off its fees and retain its license.
The loan, and delays with Robin Hood Energy producing financial details, reportedly led to a three month delay in Nottingham Council being able to sign off its financial books for 2019.
This is not the first loan Robin Hood has had to take out from Nottingham Council, and so far it has already paid more than £2 million in interest. As of March 2019, it owed £26.7 million to the council.
While the company turned a profit of £202,000 in 2018, it lost £7.2 million in 2017 and £2.5 million in 2016.
Robin Hood Energy was launched in 2015 as the first council-owned, not-for-profit energy company in the UK since the energy supply was nationalised in 1948. Since then it has grown to have nearly 170,000 customers nationwide, and an annual turnover of £44 million.