Dan Hopkinson is the Chief Executive Officer of ElectraLink, a UK-based information technology and utility services company, founded in 1998, that operates the digital infrastructure underpinning the UK energy market. It manages data transfers, provides market governance services, and hosts a massive data trust with billions of rows of energy consumption data.
With more than three decades of experience leading operational, technical and transformation teams across the energy industry, Dan is an advocate for inclusive, people-centred leadership in the energy sector. His approach to leadership is based on the belief that organisations achieve extraordinary results when leaders serve their people, create trust, and empower individuals to thrive.
Dan joined ElectraLink in 2016 as Deputy CTO and progressed through several leadership roles, including Head of Network and EMI Services and Director of Data and Transformation, before becoming CEO in 2021. During this period he played a pivotal role in transforming ElectraLink from a traditional market services provider into a modern data, analytics and infrastructure organisation supporting the UK’s transition to a flexible, low-carbon energy future. He led the delivery of a new cloud-based Data Transfer Service and helped establish ElectraLink’s position as a trusted source of energy market data, insight and innovation.
Appointed CEO during the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and an unprecedented period of change for the energy market, Dan chose not to return to the status quo. Instead, he embarked on a bold transformation focused on trust, transparency, inclusion and employee empowerment. Under his leadership, ElectraLink has embedded employee voice into decision-making through open company-wide forums, regular Q&A sessions and colleague-led initiatives that give employees genuine influence over the future of the business.
Dan’s most recognised achievement is championing the UK’s first permanent four-day working week in the energy sector without reducing pay or compressing hours. Originally proposed by employees, the initiative reflected his willingness to listen, challenge convention and make evidence-based decisions. The success of the model has demonstrated that organisations can simultaneously improve employee wellbeing, engagement and business performance. His commitment to inclusion extends far beyond flexible working. He has also supported pioneering initiatives such as ElectraLink’s gender-neutral parental leave policy, “Parenternity”, ensuring that support for families is equitable and free from traditional assumptions about caregiving responsibilities.
Dan is also a passionate advocate for creating workplaces where everyone can belong, contribute and succeed. Under his leadership, ElectraLink has earned Best Companies 2-Star accreditation, been recognised as a Best Employer for Women, strengthened its diversity and inclusion strategy and embedded inclusive behaviours into performance expectations at every level of the organisation, including his own. He believes that inclusion is not a programme or initiative but a leadership responsibility that must be visible, measurable and lived every day.
Alongside his people leadership, Dan is recognised throughout the energy sector as a strong advocate for innovation, digitisation and the power of data to accelerate the transition to net zero. He regularly champions the role of data, intelligence and infrastructure in creating a more open, flexible and sustainable energy market, while positioning ElectraLink as an influential industry voice and trusted partner to businesses, government and innovators.
Today, Dan leads ElectraLink with a vision that extends beyond commercial success. His ambition is to prove that organisations can be simultaneously high-performing, inclusive and profoundly human. Through courageous leadership, a commitment to listening and a determination to challenge outdated workplace norms, he continues to demonstrate that investing in people is not only the right thing to do, it is a powerful driver of sustainable business success.