Gridserve’s Sam Clarke
It is fair to say that Gridserve’s Sam Clarke is a fan of electric vehicles: he has owned one for 20 years, hosts an EV podcast and even set a Guinness World Record driving one. He says being a key member of the team behind the ubiquitous chargepoint provider is his dream job.
Name: Sam Clarke
Job title: Chief vehicle officer, Gridserve
Company: Gridserve is a sustainable ’sun-to-wheel’ energy business, with three company-owned all-electric forecourts and more than 1,200 charging bays at over 175 locations, powered by 100% net zero carbon energy including from the company’s pioneering hybrid solar and battery farms. It is committed to delivering net zero transport at the speed and scale the climate crisis requires to prevent global temperature rises exceeding 1.5°C of warming.
01. Career history: I am a life-long entrepreneur, industry advisor, and EV owner/driver for over 20 years. My EV journey started back in 2002 with electric motorbikes before founding a zero-emission logistics firm, Gnewt, which I sold to John Menzies Plc in 2017. I now work on national charging infrastructure needs for Gridserve in particular leading on the £100m-plus government funded (ZEHID) eHGV Electric Freightway Project. I am also a founding member of The EV Café webinar and news channel.
02. Dream job: Genuinely, the one I have now.
03. What do you drive? Tesla Model Y.
04. Perfect day: Summer day, in a pub enjoying the sunshine with friends.
05. Best holiday: Don’t really do holidays, a little too addicted to work!
06. Holiday wish-list: Back to the Far East travelling the world like I did as a younger man with no obligations.
07. Favourite read: More of a watcher, I enjoy hearing about experiences and stories from other entrepreneurs.
08.Three words to describe yourself: Competitive, ambitious, passionate.
09. Possessions you could not do without: Running trainers and laptop.
10: Most admire: People who dream big, believe they can do it, then achieve it.
11. Favourite sports person: Professional snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan.
12. Best news over the past 12 months: Securing my first Guinness World Record at the first attempt, as part of a trio travelling the greatest distance in an electric van on a single charge: 311.18 miles, in a vehicle said to have a range of 197 miles.
13. Recent achievements: Leading a winning bid on a £100m-plus government project to deliver electric HGV charging nationwide on behalf of Gridserve.
14. What’s your pet peeve: Greenwashing.
15. Biggest fear: Failure (and cotton wool)
16. Most important qualities in the workplace: Respect, positivity, and honesty.
17. What motivates you? Pioneering necessary change, but in a commercially viable long-term way to ensure longevity.
18. Best thing about the job: The opportunity to make material change to the climate we live in surrounded by like-minded, motivated people.
19. Best bit of business advice you have ever received: 1) Beware of averages. You could have your head in an oven and your feet in the freezer but on average you’re fine. 2) In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king 3) ‘No’ just isn’t a ‘yes’ yet.
20. Most recent business achievement of note: Hiring my most recent team personnel to help deliver eHGVs and infrastructure in the UK. Delegation is not my strong suit, but I’m learning with a fantastic team, anything is possible.
