Media Release:
New era for leading community energy network company as Phil Baxter appointed new CEO
1 May 2020
In the mark of a new era, Australia’s leading community energy network provider, WINconnect, has appointed its current Chief Operating Officer, Phil Baxter, as CEO. Mr Baxter will take the helm following incumbent Tom Patsakos’ transition to Executive Chairman, effective today.
Mr Baxter joined WINconnect in 2012 initially as Chief Technology Officer, moving to Chief Operating Officer soon after. Prior to joining WINconnect, Mr Baxter had a successful career at leading electro-technology company Nilsen Group.
At WINconnect, Mr Baxter has succeeded in building strong relationships with key stakeholders as he managed the day-to-day operations of the business.
“Phil has proven to be a brilliant leader – and has been an effective ‘2IC’ for me as the business has grown from just 13 people to a team of 142 in just nine years. I know he will do a stellar job in taking the company forward,” said Mr Patsakos.
As part of the business transformation born out of the new partnership with Pacific Equity Partners (PEP), Mr Patsakos will take up a new role as Executive Chairman, where he will focus on industry and regulatory matters.
Incoming CEO Mr Phil Baxter thanked Mr Patsakos for his strong leadership over the past decade.
“Working with Tom has been just incredible. He has taken a company with just a handful of staff and turned it into an organisation serving tens of thousands of customers, while leading the regulatory conversations within our industry.
“There is no doubt that WINconnect’s strong reputation is thanks to Mr Patsakos’ leadership. Our independently-verified customer satisfaction ratings are incredibly high, as are our staff engagement results, and Tom should be very proud of his legacy,” Mr Baxter said.
As the company continues to grow with a new swathe of capital investment, Mr Baxter’s vision is for the company to continue to lead in operational excellence, with an added emphasis on new product offerings and a strong focus on renewables and the digital space.
“The demand for renewable energy generation has increased – and apartment dwellers and commercial centres want to do their bit. We will continue to help meet that demand through the community energy network model.
“The connectivity technology now available is phenomenal. 4G has allowed real-time monitoring like never before – and with 5G just around the corner – it’s my vision to make WINconnect a digital leader. Our new IT systems switched on this year have set the frameworks. Now is the time go,” said Mr Baxter.
Mr Baxter emphasised that new technologies would help the company to strengthen its customer service offering, of meeting the customer’s need is addressed the first time they call.
“Technology actually enables us to provide better customer service as it means that we can automate some of the more time-consuming administrative tasks, and free our people up to spend more time interacting with customers.
“It’s all about being there for our customers every day; providing them with the valued service they need”, said Mr Baxter.
-ENDS-
For more information, or to request an interview with a spokesperson, please contact:
Scott McCloud
0404 562 012 scott.mccloud@baldwinboyle.com