Dev Stories: The Coding Journey with Ashley Firth | Octopus Energy
Ashley Firth built and leads the Front-end department at Octopus Energy, crafting sites and internal tools, building new products and campaigns, and expanding into other countries. Their aim is to combat climate change, use technology to build a better standard of energy supplier, and make renewable energy more affordable for everyone. In May 2020, Octopus Energy became the 15th UK tech “unicorn” after achieving a valuation of over £1 billion. Ashley has also written a book: 'Practical Web Inclusion & Accessibility', a new book, designed as a practical guide to access needs, which is a huge passion for Ashley. Showtimes 0:30 - Ashley's unconventional route into Coding 3:40 - The finer details of coding and willingness to learn 5:00 - The skills Ashley and the team at Octopus look for when hiring 9:20 - Not losing sight of the brand's core values 11:28 - Where Octopus Energy fits into the world of energy & technology 16:30 - Preparing for such rapid and dramatic scale in success at Octopus 19:04 - The concept behind Ashley's book: 'Practical Web Inclusion & Accessibility' 26:20 - The tech involved in providing customers with a personal experience 32:10 - The developments since our previous podcast with Octopus Energy's CEO: Greg Jackson 35:00 - The future of Octopus Energy Ashley has also written a book: 'Practical Web Inclusion & Accessibility', a new book, designed as a practical guide to access needs, which is a huge passion for Ashley.