Personal Life of Frank Meyer:
About Frank Meyer: Recently The Worlds Times got a chance to interview Frank Meyer, CEO of E.ON Italia and the front-runner of the movement #MakeItalyGreen, working towards the energy transition in Italy and Europe. Frank is very passionate about creating sustainable impact, transforming cultures and about making ordinary people do extraordinary things and his mission is to make green energy accessible to all by pushing the boundaries for a green and sustainable future. Frank wants to make homes, business and cities in Italy green. He speaks 7 languages because he is inspired by different cultures and backgrounds.
The Worlds Times: Give us one word that describes you the best.
Frank Meyer replied: Curious
Exploring Alignment with E.ON’s Vision and Values
The Worlds Times: Can you articulate your understanding of E.ON’s vision and values as described in the company’s statement? How do you personally align with these principles?
Frank Meyer replied: E.ON’s commitment is to accompany Italy on the path of ecological transition and thus lay the foundations for a sustainable energy future. Precisely for this reason, our purpose #MakeItalyGreen indicates the ambition to aggregate people in a movement to act together by adopting responsible behaviours in everyday life, reducing the footprint on the environment and contributing to make Italy greener. #MakeItalyGreen is not only my professional purpose, but also my personal passion: the goal is generating awareness of the impact each of us has on the Planet.
Demonstrating Commitment: My Contributions to Sustainability Aligned with E.ON’s Values
The Worlds Times: E.ON emphasizes its commitment to sustainability. Can you provide examples from your experiences where you actively contributed to sustainability initiatives or worked in an environmentally responsible manner?
Frank Meyer replied: We are committed to actively involve everyone, including customers, employees, partners, stakeholders and citizens, in projects and initiatives developed in Italy. These include, for example, “Boschi E.ON,” for the forestation of the Italian territory, “Energy4Blue,” for the protection of ecosystems and marine biodiversity, and the “Progetto Scuole E.ON” to bring to primary and secondary school students opportunities for discussion on issues related to energy, sustainability, climate change and the environment. We also promote several corporate volunteer initiatives that we firmly believe in as opportunities for the company and colleagues.
I have personally taken part, to give a few examples, in tree planting activities (at the forest in Bagnatica, Northen Italy) and by serving as a corporate volunteer with colleagues at the Opera San Francesco soup kitchen. Precisely because I believe that actively engaging for a more sustainable world and future, both socially and environmentally, is very important, and I feel that I have, as a leader, the responsibility to do so.
E.ON’s Crucial Role in European Energy Transition
The Worlds Times: In your opinion, what role does E.ON play in driving the energy transition in Europe? How do you see the company contributing to sustainability and climate protection?
Frank Meyer replied: E.ON positions itself as a primary contact for the energy transition by working with institutions, companies, and private users across Europe to reduce CO2 emissions. The company will invest €27 billion in the energy transition by 2026, aiming to lead the transition with a model fully aligned with the new energy world – decentralized and sustainable – also through 100% renewable energy offerings. 22 billion euros will be invested in the expansion of energy networks and 5 billion euros in the expansion of the customer solutions business. 85-90 percent of investment activities are covered by the European Union taxonomy and meet rigorous sustainability criteria. Around 2 billion euros of investments are planned until 2026 for the digitalisation of network infrastructures and 5,000 new E.ON charging points across Europe.
Crafting E.ON’s Approach to Evolving Energy Consumer Needs
The Worlds Times: E.ON is known for providing innovative customer solutions. How would you approach developing and implementing innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of energy consumers?
Frank Meyer replied: Renewable Energy Communities are the present and the future of the energy sector. In fact, these represent a very efficient energy system through which energy can be exchanged and shared among citizens, making everyone who participates a real player in the energy transition. That’s why we believe that RECs are the most innovative and effective tools for responding to new consumer needs. Their implementation not only allows people to reduce their ecological footprint but it is also a valuable solution to combat energy poverty, bringing economic, social and cultural benefits.
To date, we have initiated 20 RECs in Italy.
A Reflection on Commitment in My Professional Journey
The Worlds Times: The Company emphasizes taking action instead of making promises. Can you share an example from your professional background where you demonstrated a commitment to delivering tangible results rather than just making commitments?
Frank Meyer replied: In these years, I was able to set-up and profitably scale across 11 European countries E.ON’s new growth areas Future Energy Home (PV and Battery, Home Heating and Comfort, Home Energy Management) and E-Mobility. From about 20 million to more than €800M revenues in 4 years, profitable after 3 years, still growing strongly double digit. These are great results both from a business perspective and from a sustainability point of view, considering that our green energy solutions can now reach a wider public hence helping with reducing customers’ Carbon Footprint.
Leading the Way: Showcasing Leadership in Driving Change – A Personal Reflection
The Worlds Times: E.ON values leading the way rather than following. Describe a situation in which you took the initiative to lead a project or drive change, showcasing your leadership skills.
Frank Meyer replied: Since my arrival at E.ON Italia, I have focused on the mission of spreading and nurturing the #MakeItalyGreen ambition, both internally with employees and externally with partners and customers, with the goal of making Italy a greener country by improving our daily actions and making conscious choices. In these years I have led E.ON Italia in creating an active, participatory, and responsible movement to make citizens protagonists of the future of the Planet and involve companies and institutions in the energy transition.
Harnessing the Power of Community
The Worlds Times: E.ON relies on the power of the community. How have you worked collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal, especially in a work setting? Provide a specific example.
Frank Meyer replied: We act as a green movement through the cooperation in our sustainable projects such as Boschi E.ON, Energy4Blue and Progetto Scuole E.ON. Both externally and internally, in our work environment, everyone is collaborating and taking concrete action for these projects: planting trees, participating in volunteer initiatives to clean beaches and seabeds, also with an active role in spreading the culture of sustainability. The key to growing our community, our green movement is for our people to really believe in what we do and our mission.
Navigating Energy Networks: Insights, Values, and Leadership Moments
The Worlds Times: Given E.ON’s focus on being one of Europe’s largest operators of energy networks, can you discuss your understanding of energy networks and the challenges and opportunities associated with them?
Frank Meyer replied: Infrastructure and the grid are a central issue, and if we want to integrate even more renewable energy into Europe’s future, work on their expansion. We are going through a positive period where the energy transition is already happening and the awareness on the topic is growing, but certainly expanding the energy grid is not a simple and immediate goal. In this regard, in 2023, E.ON Group strengthened its investments in energy networks and sustainable solutions for customers. In fact, in the first nine months of the year, investments exceeded 3.9 billion euros (up about 40 percent from the same period in 2022). In addition, between now and 2026, investments of 22 billion euros are planned for the expansion of energy networks.
The Worlds Times: What are the key values which helped you to overcome the challenges in your path? Tell us something about your memorable incident in your leadership?
Frank Meyer replied: I believe in the power and strengths of people and that all of us can do extraordinary things. I believe in respect for every individual. Honesty, integrity and fairness are values that always guide my decisions – in particular in difficult situation. The question always needs to be: what is the right decision for the people and the company I am responsible for and the society I am living in and I am responsible to create value for. These values give me strengths and the people I work with give me strength to deal with the challenges along the paths. This guides me to make my contribution for a better future of as many people as possible.
Framing the Future: E.ON’s Evolution and My Role in Creating Change for Client Benefits
The Worlds Times: How do you see the company changing in three years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
Frank Meyer replied: I am convinced that the commitment to energy transition, electrification, decarbonization and decentralization will be the drivers that will continue to drive E.ON’s choices and business in Italy. In parallel, I believe that great results cannot be achieved unless we act together. This is also why, to set a concrete example, in our opinion, the best tools to accelerate the transition, while also directly involving citizens in energy sharing, are the Renewable Energy Communities. In the coming years, following the European Commission’s green light to the Italian decree to incentivize the spread of self-consumption of energy from renewable sources, we will have the opportunity to invest further in this direction and increase its diffusion throughout the country.
The Worlds Times: What benefits are clients getting from “E.ON” in this competitive world?
Frank Meyer replied: Our daily commitment to our customers is aimed at being a trusted and reliable partner. We empower them to embrace our values and be an active part of change. For example, by choosing sustainable energy proposals that help reforestation and marine conservation.
But for us it is more than a business: we have a clear purpose to #MakeItalyGreen and to contribute to the energy transition in Italy and Europe. This is why we engage our customers and partners in a movement, offering to participate in numerous activities to jointly contribute to a greener future in Europe.
Connect Frank Meyer on Linkedin
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