Meet… Basim Basheer Thayyil
Welcome to our meet the team content series where we find out more about the people – we like to call them ‘UrbanChainers’ – driving UrbanChain forward.
Please tell us about your role at UrbanChain…
As the Commercial Manager my first priority is to bring in new business, explore opportunities with local councils to create separate local energy markets and to make sure that we have a flexible range of peer-to-peer options to suit our clients requirements. I also work hard to ensure that our message is clear and simple, and convince stakeholders that when there’s something ground-breaking happening, it always seems ‘too good to be true’, until everyone else starts doing it.
Tell us about you, where you grew up, education, previous work experience…
I grew up in Oman and India, and then came to the UK when I was 13 so I’ve had a very diverse upbringing and can quite easily adapt to new surroundings. I graduated from Lancaster University and have been in the energy industry for over eight years, working for large (Npower, Gazprom) and small energy suppliers (Hudson Energy), brokers and start-ups. I’ve worked mainly in bill validation, pricing and trading at those companies.
What are your passions, interests and hobbies outside of work?
I’m quite competitive and most days I’m inventing some sort of game and competing with my kids, even though they’re only three and four years old. After their bedtime, you can either find me on a 5-a-side football pitch, on a badminton court or at nets practising my lifelong passion which is cricket. I’m a keen foodie, so I can happily show you around the best food spots in Manchester if you visit us.
What are your strengths as a thinker and what are you best at?
My ability to empathise and understand what the customer wants and needs.
What’s it like working at a disruptive technology company?
It’s truly exciting, knowing that your company has the potential to and is on the path to be the revolutionary company that transforms the energy industry.
What does company culture mean to you?
It means being able to be yourself at work, relax and look forward to going to your workplace. It means one that is not afraid of change and one where there is no rigid hierarchy and where everyone has an opportunity to express their opinions and ideas.
Describe UrbanChain’s company culture…
We all look out for each other and everyone who’s here truly ‘wants’ to be here. That can only be achieved when everyone truly believes in each other’s abilities, mindset and the potential for us to disrupt the market and bring real change that will help the energy industry and people’s lives.
What personal values do you bring to UrbanChain?
I’m a glass half-full kind of person, so aside from my positive mindset, I also believe I am able to see the bigger picture. I’m also not afraid to challenge any decision made by senior management. It’s important to be upfront and honest and I admire that UrbanChain shares the same values and is fully transparent in how we work.
