OPTIMAL CHARGING
Leaders or Followers
&
Optimal Charging: Fleet Electrification
24 March 2026
IET London: Savoy Place | #LeadersOrFollowers
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About
Co-located with Optimal Charging: Leaders or Followers on 24 March, offering shared networking and exhibition opportunities to drive industry collaboration.
Bringing together infrastructure hosts, landowners, fleet leaders, facilitators and innovators under one roof.
Take Me to Optimal Charging: Fleet Electrification
Join the Movement Transforming EV Charging in the UK
Empowering UK corporate leaders to scale EV charging infrastructure swiftly, smartly and cost-effectively
At our 27 March 2024 event — held in partnership with Sainsbury’s— 323 senior stakeholders attended, representing a diverse mix from retail chains and fleet operators to FTSE 350 corporations, healthcare trusts, government bodies, and regional authorities.
Why This Matters
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- The UK’s public EV charging network is expanding at record pace: as of July 2025, there are 84,218 public charge points across nearly 42,000 locations, representing a 26% growth since July 2024
- Rapid and ultra-rapid chargers alone have surged to 16,937, a 30% increase year-over-year, with 3,121 ultra-rapid units added in just 12 months
- In policy advances, from 29 May 2025, EV drivers and businesses no longer require planning permission to install charging points—cutting time, costs, and bureaucratic friction, and projected to save up to £1,100 annually
- The Labour government, while scrapping a previous £950 million motorway charging fund, is instead committing £400 million to expand on-street and underserved area infrastructure over the next five years
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What to Expect
Optimal Charging: Leaders or Followers is tailored for corporate EV buyers, facilities and fleet managers, property owners, and executive leaders. It’s where strategy meets action.
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- Insight-Rich Talks: Hear from landowners, property and fleet operators about delivering RIIO-ED2-compliant charging capabilities, collaborating across sectors, and scaling infrastructure
- Fast-Paced Q&A & Case Studies: Interactive sessions bring real-world scenarios to life
- Networking Gold: Forge valuable connections during ample 1-2-1 time throughout the day
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Everything is designed to help you deploy EV charging more intelligently, efficiently, and capital-efficiently.
Why You Should Attend
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- Rapid Market Momentum: With public chargers and especially ultra-rapid capacity growing at unprecedented rates, early movers gain decisive advantages
- Policy Tailwinds in Your Favor: Simplified planning and strategic funding are unlocking deployment potential
- Strategic ROI Focus: Learn how to accelerate EV infrastructure with optimized spend and operational excellence
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Be Part of the Innovation
We're partnering with mission-critical stakeholders shaping this market.
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- Team registrations: Contact Jane Huggins at sales@ukwideinvestment.com
- Collaborations: Reach Sarah Sweetman at enquiries@ukwideinvestment.com
- Partnerships / Sponsorship / Exhibiting / Speaking: Email Yevgeniy Makushin at ynm@ukwideinvestment.com
- Or drop Sarah a quick message on LinkedIn to start the conversation

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Global Authority Keynote
Our 2026 timetable
Agenda 2026
Our 2026 industry leaders:
Dr. Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley, Director of Innovations and Impact, British Antarctic Survey
Ruth Cadbury, Chair, Transport Select Committee
Melanie Lane, Chief Executive Officer, Pod
Isabel McAllister, Chief Sustainability and Compliance Officer, First Bus
Vicky Edmonds, CEO, EVA England
Vicky Read, CEO, ChargeUK
James Hooton, Managing Director, Missions, Green Finance Institute
Jonathan Guppy, Head of Sustainability, South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Jason Powell, Director Fleet Services, Metropolitan Police Service
Ian Johnston, CEO, Osprey
Neil Austin, Chief Financial Officer, Westmorland Family
Dr. Julia Kowalle, Executive Director, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Ilyas Munshi, Corporate Development & Communications Director, EG On The Move
Ben Cattermole, Head of Transport Decarbonisation, National Grid Electricity Distribution
Katie Pudney, Electric Vehicle and Charging Strategy Lead, Essex County Council
Judith Hayton, Transport Strategy and Planning Manager – Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure, Transport for London
Neil Mahapatra, CEO, Zapgo
Alex Schoch, Head of Flexibility, Octopus Energy Group
Jade Edwards, Head of Insights, zapmap
Chris Richardson, Divisional Managing Director, Ambassador Group
Councillor Peter Candlish, Cabinet Member for Transport, Portsmouth City Council
Clare Frater MAPM, Programme Manager, Strategy & Places Directorate, National Trust
Neil Madgwick, Head of Connections Service Delivery, UK Power Networks
Dr Russell Fowler, Acting Head of Connection Delivery, Strategic Charging Infrastructure, National Highways
Chris Ashley, Senior Policy Lead, RHA
James Nutter, Lead Policy Manager Transport Strategy, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
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Venue
IET London: Savoy Place, 2 Savoy Place, London, WC2R 0BL
Venue
IET London: Savoy Place
2 Savoy Place
London, WC2R 0BL
General Enquiries Form
Use our General Enquiries Form for attendance, branding, sponsor, speaker, virtual speaker enquiries or if you have something interesting you would like to share online or on the day with our industry participants but can’t attend in person.


