Thomas Needham

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Head of Strategy at Ofgem

Woking, England, United Kingdom

Overview

Thomas is a commercially astute senior leader with over 15 years of experience shaping corporate strategy and leading M&A for major multinational businesses. A graduate of the University of Liverpool and Harvard Business School Online, colleagues describe him as an "excellent strategist" with a "keen intellect" who challenges the status quo.

He has a clear passion for the telecommunications and TMT sectors, demonstrated by his attendance at industry events like Connected Britain. He also takes a direct interest in building his team, personally driving recruitment for key roles in his department.

He led the £500m+ sale of a business and spearheaded a £400m profit turnaround during his time at Direct Line Group.

Personality Overview

Price-Sensitive

Not Easily Convinced

Value Seeker

It is quite likely of them to ask for pricing or other concessions.  They prefer to analyze every situation thoroughly.
 They generally do not appreciate an overfriendly approach and prefer to stay to-the-point.

Topics They Care About

Corporate M&A
He has a proven track record leading major transactions, including a £500m+ business sale and the acquisition and integration of an insurtech provider.
Profit Turnarounds
He delivered a £400m profit turnaround through a strategic review he launched, showcasing his ability to drive significant financial improvements.
Disruptive Strategy
He specifically studied Disruptive Strategy at Harvard Business School Online, indicating a keen interest in innovative and non-traditional business approaches.

Media Appearances

Thomas has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2026
Head of Strategy at Ofgem
1-2021 - 10-2025
Head of Corporate Strategy and M&A at Direct Line Group
9-2017 - 1-2021
Senior Manager - Lead Corporate Strategist at Three.
2013 - 9-2017
Senior Strategy Manager at Centrica
2012 - 2013
Marketing Development Manager at Zurich Insurance plc

Education

2000 - 2003
BA (Econ) Hons from University of Liverpool
10-2021 - 1-2022
Disruptive Strategy from Harvard Business School Online

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 23 Location : Woking, England, United Kingdom Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Head of Strategy at Ofgem
URL has been copied!

Insights For Selling To Thomas

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Back up any claims with data and numbers
  • Share as much information as possible regarding your product
  • Emphasize on objective proof of ROI, help them do a thorough evaluation

DONT's

  • Don’t try to be too friendly or informal with them
  • Avoid phrases like ‘do not worry about’, ‘no one compares to’ etc.
  • Don’t depend too much on anecdotal evidence, it reduces their confidence

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Thomas is

  • Ensuring that the product delivers ROI, cost-effective pricing and process compliance are very important for them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Thomas

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Thomas move?

  • If they have the information that they need, they can move fast at making their decisions.
  • Can Thomas take some risk or not?

  • They can take risk if they are convinced that they have analyzed the circumstances well.


You And Thomas

Personality Compatibility


Other Ofgem Employees

Explore more public profiles from related professionals at the same organization.

More Profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Search more profiles

Looking for someone else? Search here for anyone.

Or visit Humantic AI to know more.