Don Anderson (Senior Consultant)

Don Anderson has worked in the Australian Retail Energy Industry for over 18 years. During this time, he has held senior executive level positions in Sales, Marketing and Customer Operations with AGL, EnergyAustralia and TRUenergy (see summary CV below for details).

In particular, Don has a unique experience of preparing for ,and competing in, newly deregulated energy markets. Firstly, at AGL where he became the inaugural General Manager Retail, heading up AGL’s first foray into the newly deregulated NSW electricity and gas markets.

Don then joined EnergyAustralia with a specific brief of preparing EnergyAustralia to compete in the newly deregulated gas market, with gas being a totally new product for EnergyAustralia. However, he soon became heavily involved in EnergyAustralia’s preparations for mass-market competition in both electricity and gas. This included playing a leading role in the development of a new SAP IT capability that ultimately enabled EnergyAustralia to very successfully compete in energy markets across the NEM for the next decade and beyond. Then as retail electricity and gas completion emerged across the NEM Don gained considerable experience via senior operational roles with EnergyAustralia in both Sales and Customer Operations.

Additionally, as a member of the Senior Executive committee of EnergyAustralia for 6 years (2005 – 2011) Don was directly involved (via formal Executive and Board review) in all major commercial and regulatory decisions taken by EnergyAustralia during this period. At this time EnergyAustralia was a combined Energy Network and Retail Company, so the commercial, contractual and regulatory issues experienced by Don involved all major aspects of both a Network and a Retail business. These included major regulatory pricing submissions for both a Network and Retail business, major infrastructure projects (from Zone Substations to major IT systems (e.g. Asset Management)), major electricity and gas supply contracts and significant business cases for new business ventures.

Don has also accumulated a deep and practical understanding of the regulatory processes and functioning of the retail energy market via his membership of the Retail Market Executive Committee (RMEC) – a high level advisory committee to AEMO with a particular focus on retail market transactions and settlements, and metrology, and the Industry Executive Committee (IEC) – the governing AEMO/Industry body with respect to B2B rules and procedures.

Don was a member of these committees for over 6 years (2005 – 2011) and during this time gained detailed knowledge of the rule and procedure change protocols used by AEMO. This was gained via the oversight of the overall Market Settlement and Transaction System (MSATS), metrology (Chapter 7) and B2B change and development programs, including the industry working groups that supplied the detailed technical expertise required to draft/re-draft rules and procedures. It also included ensuring that proper consultation procedures were followed at all times.

Don also has an extensive working knowledge of AEMO rules and procedures due to his responsibility as Executive General Manager Shared Services at EnergyAustralia (2005 – 2011). This included responsibility for all metering, meter reading, meter data management, customer transfer and registrations, customer billing and collections. EnergyAustralia at that time participated extensively in the National Electricity Market (NEM) in all jurisdictions and had 1.6 million retail customers.

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Read Don’s detailed CV here.