Energy Source & Distribution gets to know Andrew Linnie, executive general manager for AusNet’s electricity distribution business and member of its new executive leadership team.
AusNet recently announced its new operating model and executive leadership team, which you are part of. What was the reasoning behind the new OM and ELT?
One of the key reasons behind AusNet changing its operating model is to ensure we are best equipped to move with the challenges facing the energy sector at the moment and where its heading.
We need to make sure we are positioned to move where our customers, the community and other stakeholders want us and need us to go. Shifting our operating model will set a strong foundation for us to build on performance wise now and into the future, through the energy transition.
Related article: AusNet announces new operating model and leadership
Tell us about your role within the ELT:
I am executive general manager for the AusNet Electricity distribution business. It’s an exciting opportunity to help set AusNet up for the future and lead this important part of the business.
As part of our operating model change my role is to lead our new vison purpose and strategic direction for the distribution business. This will result in a strong focus on safety, customer, community and stakeholder and driving performance improvements across our network in safety, reliability and resilience.
I’ve been in the energy industry over 20 years in many different roles, predominately in the delivery, engineering and safety areas across regulated and unregulated settings.
And looking back on my time so far, I’ve worked with great people and wonderful teams and I’ve been exposed to some really challenging situations. It’s been an exciting journey to date, and I’m very much looking forward to reshaping our direction and delivering great outcomes for our customers and the communities we serve.
What do you see as some of the priorities for AusNet going forward with this new direction in mind?
There are a number of key priorities for the business right now as well as many on the horizon that we need to start addressing. For me, safety is first and foremost for our staff and for the communities we serve and work in. We also need to ensure our assets are performing in the way they should, and we need to balance the energy transition with the energy needs of our customers.
Our customers are becoming a lot more focused on energy and we need to help them navigate the energy transition. It’s a complex space we’re in and a lot of things that are changing very quickly, we need to be flexible to meet these needs and expectations.
Another priority will be dealing with extreme weather events. Recent history has shown that these events are becoming more frequent and significant. We need to think about how we change our traditional network to make it more resilient and reliable now and into the future.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities for the business at the moment within the energy transition?
The main challenges are around the pace that things are changing. This sector hasn’t seen change like we’re seeing now, since the period when electricity was first introduced 100 years ago. It’s really important that we understand this context that we’re operating in.
One of the other challenges is not only making sure energy is reliable and safe but also affordable. Cost of living is a significant issue and we need to make sure we’re doing our upmost to ensure we are driving affordable energy for our customers.
Moving into this role, one of the big opportunities is transitioning the energy grid, which has taken 100 years to evolve, to a significantly different energy grid, in under 25 years. So, the opportunity here is to open our minds to new ways of doing things. We’re not going to get everything right, but given the pace we need to move at, we need to be bold in what we’re doing.
We need to work closely with the community to make sure we get the best outcomes. If we’re not listening, we’re not going to get the outcomes our customers want and need.
Related article: AusNet rolls out community response vehicles for outages
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?
Outside of work I don’t slow down.
I’m a keen owner-builder, so I’m working on many projects both at home and at work. In the past year I’ve also taken on the role of Under 7 soccer coach, which has given me a lot more appreciation for school teachers and how they get the most out of children.
It’s certainly taught me a lot more about myself than the kids have probably taken away. The biggest thing I’ve learnt is to lean into how different each child is and look at what motivates them and establish a connection to get the most out of them.
I have brought those learnings back into the workplace, I’m keen to understand what motivates my team, how they like to be communicated with and how to get the best out them.
