The SmartestEnergy Journey: Launching SmartestEnergy Australia

As part of SmartestEnergy’s 25th anniversary celebrations, we’re proud to share reflections from some of the people who have shaped our journey. In this piece, Dan Smith, Senior Vice President Commercial of SmartestEnergy Australia, looks back on his career with the company. From being one of the key people in our UK C&I sales team to lead on the delivery of our Flexible Framework product to the incredible progress of our Australian business as it celebrates its own milestone—their own fifth year anniversary.

I’ve been with SmartestEnergy for just over 17 years, and during that time I’ve had the privilege of helping launch our presence in Australia. Looking back, it feels like the perfect moment to reflect on the journey—from my early days in the UK to building something entirely new on the other side of the world.

Why I joined SmartestEnergy

I was originally drawn to SmartestEnergy because of its unique blend: the excitement of a start-up selling renewable power, backed by the strength of a global corporate like Marubeni. In those early years, everything felt new and possible. Teams came together quickly to explore opportunities, and I loved being part of that fast-moving, collaborative environment.

The company has always struck the right balance for me: challenging but full of opportunity. When I joined, there were fewer than 50 people in the UK. Later, when I came to Australia, there were none. Both times, I felt I was contributing to building something from the ground up. Along the way, I’ve met colleagues who’ve become close friends and seen the real impact of our hard work.

How the business has evolved

SmartestEnergy has always thrived in a rapidly changing environment. For many years, it felt like a “beautiful mess”—a space where talented people carved out our place in the energy market. More recently, though, we’ve grown exponentially.

What was once a single-location business where you knew everyone by name is now an expanding international business. That kind of growth requires a shift in culture, more professionalism, more diligence, and more care in decision-making. The stakes are higher meaning changes take more time, money, and people to implement. It’s been fascinating to watch and to help shape that evolution.

Five years of SmartestEnergy Australia

It’s hard to believe that SmartestEnergy Australia is now celebrating its fifth anniversary. In just five years, we’ve gone from a small team building our foundations to a rapidly growing business that’s helping Australian companies make real progress on their net zero goals.

Australia’s energy landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with increasing price volatility driven by the changing generation mix and changing demand shape. Playing our part in the decarbonisation of the grid, we’ve continued to expand our renewable energy portfolio, signing a 175MW Power Purchase Agreement with Neoen for the Culcairn Solar Farm and celebrating the commercial operation of both Potentia Energy’s Gigarre Solar Farm and the Metka Kingaroy Solar Farm. These partnerships are central to our vision of empowering businesses to meet their sustainability goals confidently.

We also grew our delivered retail volume to 1.3TWh, up from 0.9TWh in 2024, and achieved outstanding Net Promoter Scores of +39 for customers and +52 for brokers—a reflection of how we continue to put customers at the heart of everything we do.

This progress shows how far we’ve come—not just as a business, but as a team. From system improvements and data investments to new marketing automation tools, every step has been about enhancing how we deliver value to our customers and partners.

The future of SmartestEnergy

Looking ahead, the opportunities for SmartestEnergy Australia are huge. As the market continues its transition away from aging coal-fired generation, our role in providing renewable and flexible energy solutions will only grow. I’m excited to see how we can continue to act as a testbed for innovation—developing new product structures and technologies that can benefit the wider SmartestEnergy Group.