Bringing in senior commercial expertise at the right moment is one of the highest-leverage decisions a business can make. Getting it wrong — or deferring it — compounds. Strategy, market entry, and business development for energy technology and property technology businesses, at director level, structured to fit where you are.
Most consultants work from experience alone. That matters — but it goes stale. Learel also operates a network of independent guidance sites across EV charging, solar, BESS, and heat pumps, visited by the operators, developers, and decision-makers your business is trying to reach.
That provides a live read on real market demand — the questions being asked, the objections being raised, the language people are actually using — weeks or months before it surfaces in analyst reports.
Combined with senior commercial experience inside businesses like Believ (Liberty Global Ventures) and MetisCharge (SMS plc), that's a combination most businesses at your stage can't access any other way.
What this means in practice
Senior commercial leadership inside two of the UK's leading operators — from ultra-rapid urban networks to underserved rural sites. CPO partnerships, land acquisition strategy, fleet and workplace deployment.
Involved in early BESS strategy at SMS plc, including co-located EV and battery storage sites — identifying land suited to one technology, the other, or both. A genuinely rare commercial perspective on how these assets interact.
Led go-to-market for a fully funded Solar and BESS solution for the social housing market — 2,000+ homes, a Social Housing Decarbonisation Demonstrator in Aberdeen, and net-zero housebuilder partnerships. DNO coordination and utility connection workstreams managed end to end.
Built the commercial framework that turned a bespoke heat pump service into a productised SaaS licensing model. Installer and merchant partnerships with Wolseley and City Plumbing, and early contracts secured with Guinness Partnership and Hyde Group.
Commercial architecture for energy software businesses — pricing strategy, bid governance, route to enterprise adoption. Built from direct experience of moving a product from pilot to full-scale recurring revenue.
Not advisory experience from the outside. Commercial leadership from inside serious, institutionally-backed energy businesses — at senior level, with real accountability for outcomes.
Mark has held senior commercial roles inside businesses backed by KKR, Apollo Global Management, and Liberty Global Ventures.
Heatly / United Infrastructure
Heat pump technology · Backed by Apollo Global Management (Impact Fund)
Built the commercial framework that productised a bespoke heat pump service into a recurring SaaS licensing model — securing early contracts with major social housing providers and establishing installer partnerships at national scale.
Believ
EV charging infrastructure · Backed by Liberty Global Ventures and Zouk Capital
Senior commercial position at one of the UK's largest public charging network operators — covering network growth, land and site strategy, and CPO partnership development.
MetisCharge — SMS plc
EV charging infrastructure · Publicly listed, acquired by KKR 2024
Commercial strategy across EV charging and co-located BESS sites, and go-to-market leadership for a fully funded Solar and BESS solution deployed across 2,000+ social housing homes.
Inenco Group
Energy management · PE-backed
B2B commercial leadership across energy procurement, management, and advisory services — one of the UK's leading energy consultancies serving major corporate clients.
That's exactly the right place to start. Below are the three situations where Learel is most commonly the answer — and the engagement shape that tends to follow.
Situation 01
The product is right. But the path from initial enquiry to adoption is too complex, too slow, or too dependent on expertise your customers don't have. Growth is stalling not because of the technology — but because the commercial wrapper around it isn't working.
Typically: Consultancy or Fractional
Situation 02
Winning site agreements, landlord partnerships, or institutional relationships means asking someone to commit their asset — often for decades. The question they're really asking isn't about the technology. It's whether they can trust you with something that matters to them for the long term.
Typically: Interim or Fractional
Situation 03
Selling into the public sector, social housing, or constrained institutional buyers means the commercial model has to work harder. Budget is tight, scrutiny is high, and the decision-maker needs to show impact for the people they serve — not just a line in a business case.
Typically: Consultancy or Interim
Bringing a commercial director into a business full-time is a significant commitment — in cost, in process, and in time to value. Learel is structured to deliver the same level of seniority and accountability at a fraction of that commitment, in the shape that makes most sense for where you are.
The most effective model for businesses that need ongoing senior commercial input. A committed number of days per month means proper context is built over time — and the work compounds rather than starting from scratch with every conversation.
Monthly retainer. Minimum 3-month engagement. Invoiced monthly in advance.
For a defined piece of work with a clear deliverable — a go-to-market strategy, commercial model design, market entry brief, or pricing review. Both sides know what's being delivered and what it costs before work begins.
Fixed scope, fixed fee. Milestone-based where appropriate. 14-day payment terms.
Available for specific advisory days, workshops, or senior input where a longer engagement isn't the right fit. Best suited to businesses with a clear, bounded need rather than an ongoing commercial challenge.
Agreed in advance. Invoiced in arrears on 14-day terms.
If you're working on something in energy technology or property technology and need senior commercial resource — whether that's right now or in the next few months — get in touch. The first conversation is always exploratory. No agenda, no obligation — just an honest discussion about whether there's a fit.
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