Sadly another bright light in the energy world went out recently with the passing of Professor Sir David MacKay, physicist, mathematician, Cambridge professor and former DECC chief scientist. As a recipient of the EI’s Melchett Award, one of its most prestigious, I had the pleasure of spending a little time with David then and was touched as many have been reading his most recent blog posts written from his hospital bed, where still he promoted energy efficiency and sustainability in his rational and pragmatic way. Many will also have read his books, most notably Sustainable Energy: Without the Hot Air which he made freely available – my copy is well thumbed. A modest, gentle humoured and very clever man in business company, he was not the obvious candidate to shout from the rooftops but his commitment and passion for getting on with sustainable energy transformation made him stand out and for that I hope he is long remembered.

Making people stand out for their achievements in the quest for energy excellence is simply the right thing to do. Celebrating success, recognising the talented and diverse brains that rise to our energy challenge and showcasing the dynamic, innovative and exciting world of energy we serve is essential. How else can we improve the energy literacy of our stakeholders and attract talented people who can innovate to solve one of the world’s greatest challenges?  It’s simply right to recognise the good we do.

So my plea, in David’s memory, is step up to be recognised for the part you and your team is playing and be recognised for the excellent work you do.  We must lead so others can follow.  Our Awards competition celebrates the best in the industry, and we hope to count you among the winners.