LONDON, UK: Pod Point Group, a leading provider of electric vehicle (‘EV’) charging solutions in the UK, announced the appointment of Melanie Lane as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) with effect from 1 May 2024. She will succeed Andy Palmer, who has acted as Interim CEO since 6 July 2023 during the course of the executive search and appointment processes.
Melanie Lane joins the Group from Shell Recharge Solutions (“Recharge”), having led the standalone unit following its acquisition by Shell in 2017 to become a prominent e-mobility solutions provider across key EU markets. Prior to her time running Recharge, Melanie led extensive and successful turnaround programmes for Shell’s Aviation and Retail units, which delivered significant operational improvements, resulting in strengthened competitive positions and profitability.
Following Melanie’s appointment as CEO on 1 May, Andy will step down from the executive leadership team and return to the Board as Chair Designate, before taking on the role of Non-Executive Chair post Pod Point’s Annual General Meeting on 5 June. At this time, Gareth Davis will step down as Chair and remain on the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director, whilst Interim Senior Independent Director Karen Myers will become the permanent Senior Independent Director. EDF Group, Pod Point’s largest shareholder, has given its full support for these appointments.
Gareth Davis, Chair, commented: “We are delighted to announce Melanie’s appointment as CEO. With her extensive experience in the EV charging sector and the wider energy industry, she has the skills and ideas Pod Point needs to continue its journey to enable travel that doesn’t cost the Earth. Melanie has a strong track record of building up successful businesses in a highly competitive space and we believe she will bring this same skillset to Pod Point as it looks to expand in the UK and abroad.
We are very thankful to Andy for his time as Interim CEO and look forward to welcoming him back to the Board as Chair Designate. His expertise in both Pod Point and the wider automotive sector will continue to be a major asset to the business in his new role.”
Melanie Lane, CEO designate, commented: “I am very pleased to be appointed CEO of Pod Point and am looking forward to taking on this new opportunity. Pod Point is a leading player in UK EV charging with a strong brand, high customer trust, extensive partnerships and fantastic people.
The business has an outstanding opportunity to build on the pillars of the recently announced Powering Up strategy with a renewed focus on home and workplace charging, driving recurring revenue through Energy Flex and growing internationally.
I look forward to working with David Wolffe, the executive team and everyone in the business to guide Pod Point through this exciting time in its evolution and growing its position as a key enabler of the energy transition.”
Melanie’s most recent position was as CEO of Shell Recharge Solutions, known as NewMotion at the time of her appointment in 2020. During her time at the company, Mel oversaw a step change growth in Recharge’s customer base and top line revenues, diversified the portfolio of products and scaled operational capability and increased annual installations from 16,000 to 50,000, amassing a network 500,000 connected chargers.
Outside of EV charging, Melanie has a track record of delivering operational improvements and turning around underperforming businesses. During her time leading both the Aviation business in Europe and the Retail business in the UK, she delivered significant turnarounds and double-digit growth in profitability through new strategic direction, overhauling operations and sharpening customer focus.