Stephen Fitzpatrick: Ovo Energy

Stephen Fitzpatrick, 32
Company: Ovo Energy
Web: www.ovoenergy.com

Ovo Energy supplies gas and electricity to more than 30,000 homes across the UK. An impressive statistic, but as Fitzpatrick points out, that translates to one out of 800 homes, meaning there’s plenty of room for growth. It’s that ambition that has seen him build up a team of 50 employees in two years. He has focused on employing bright young graduates and hopes to see his Cotsworlds-based business, which buys wholesale energy and sells it on to customers, become a top 10 UK employer. An emphasis on greener energy also gives the business another way of standing out in a tough market.

2013 update:

The company has continued its strong shake-up of the energy market – it turned over £37m in the year ending June 2011 and was recently named in Lord Young and Sir Terry Leahy’s Accelerate 250 index as one of Britain’s fastest-growing companies.