Greg Hands announced as chair of Grid – UK advisory board

Former UK government minister Greg Hands has been appointed chair of Grid-UK’s advisory board and will lead a working group curating the agenda for the organisation’s inaugural stakeholder conference, scheduled to take place at ExCel, London in October 2026.

Hands brings a wealth of political experience to the role, having enjoyed a distinguished and sustained period in government. He has served as Minister of State for Trade Policy under four prime ministers, holding the office on four occasions, ranging from 2016 to 2024, was Minister of State for Business Energy and Clean Growth from 2021 to 2022, and served twice in the Cabinet.

Explained Hands:

“I think my time overseeing trade policy as well as engaging with the energy brief will be useful in developing the work of the advisory board. This project allows me to make a further contribution to identifying opportunities for growth arising from the country’s energy transition strategy and to help more companies and stakeholders get involved in this once in a generation initiative”.

Andrew Dowding, Managing Director of GRID-UK’s parent company, Meetings of Minds, added:

“We are delighted to welcome Greg Hands to the GRID-UK team. Together with our founding partners, the Institution of Civil Engineers, Energy UK, Energy Industries Council and Tech UK, we are committed to broadening the narrative of the Clean Power objective to document the industry’s early achievements, foster innovation and identify new corporate and personal development possibilities in this rapidly developing market”.