Meet Maria McKavanagh, Commercial Director at Joulen

Maria is a dedicated advocate for clean energy innovation, combining engineering expertise with commercial leadership to drive smart, clean energy solutions.

Bringing Joulen’s mission to life

As Commercial Director at Joulen, Maria leads the company’s growth strategy, collaborating across sales and marketing to bring the power of energy optimisation and market participation to life. She works closely with customers to ensure that every unit of energy is utilised to its fullest potential and significantly reduces their time to market — whether they are developing a home energy management system (HEMS) or participating in a virtual power plant.

Expertise and experience

Beginning her career as an electrical engineer, Maria moved into consulting and engineering applications. She then took on a commercial leadership role, managing the London territory for a major US test and measurement company. Later, she joined AI energy startup Verv, where she rapidly scaled the team to over 50 people and ultimately rose to the role of CEO. Maria has also held key interim roles, including Head of Product and Commercial Director, and helped secure major investments — from raising £6.5 million in Series A funding at Verv to writing a successful Series B business plan that raised £14 million for a client.

Leading with purpose

Maria is a passionate advocate for clean energy innovation and was recognised as the Young Energy Professional of the Year by the Energy Institute in 2019. She’s a vocal champion for the role that smart energy technology can play in addressing climate change and fuel poverty, and a strong advocate for women in STEM and energy, promoting the value of inclusive teams in fostering creativity and innovation. Maria frequently speaks at high-profile industry and parliamentary events, dedicated to ensuring innovation does not outpace regulation on our journey to net zero.

Outside of work

After spending a decade in London, Maria has returned to Northern Ireland. Outside of work, when she’s not busy with her two young boys, she enjoys running or taking a dip in the Irish Sea.

Maria’s Vision

“Joulen has the power to accelerate the net zero transition of homes and businesses from Ireland and the UK to Europe and beyond. By optimising every single unit of energy, we can enable our customers to build their businesses and live their lives without having to worry about energy price fluctuations or payback periods of their assets.”

Stay tuned to meet more of our incredible colleagues working tirelessly to usher in the new era of smart, clean, affordable energy solutions. 

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn or reach out to our team to discuss how Joulen can optimise your energy and create value through smarter, more flexible energy management.