Field announces three senior hires as it looks to expand at speed

Elspeth Vincent is joining as general counsel from Ecotricity. Image: Field.

Battery energy storage company Field has announced three new senior hires, as it expands its team by 213% in just four months.

Elspeth Vincent is joining as general counsel, Ben Saward as VP of supply chain and Tom Elvey as lead data engineer.

Vincent is joining the company – which was initially called Virmati Energy – from energy supplier Ecotricity, where she worked for a decade. She will establish Field’s in-house legal function, which will be key for acquiring new sites across the country at speed, the company said.

“We really are against the clock to avoid climate catastrophe, and I’m excited to be joining a team of people with the determination, innovation and expertise to make the renewables transition a reality with battery storage,” said Vincent. “Field is tackling this problem like no one else, and I look forward to being a part of the vision they’re building.”

Saward has worked in infrastructure procurement at companies BT, Total, and shaving subscription service Harry’s. He will lead procurement as well as the supply chain team.

Elvey is joining Field from data-led insurance unicorn, Marshmallow. He will work with a team of data scientists to design and develop Field’s technology platform, integrating machine learning and statistical deployment into the optimisation of the company’s battery assets.

Field is targeting 1.3GWh of battery storage operational across the UK by 2024. Since the company’s founder Amit Gudka stepped down from his previous role at energy supplier Bulb – which he also cofounded – in February 2021, it has established a pipeline with a capacity of 420MWh.

This includes the acquisition of ILI Group’s 50MW Auchteraw battery energy storage project in November, as well as the Field Oldham (20MW) and Field Gerrards Cross (20MW) sites earlier in 2021.

“We’re absolutely set on creating change in the energy industry by financing, building, operating and monetising the renewable infrastructure that’s urgently needed. Our team is already proving that we can move extremely fast, and these new hires will help us continue to accelerate our progress,” said Gudka.