Leading system-wide change: Lessons from scaling EV infrastructure

When you think about electric vehicles, you probably think about cars.  

Alastair Woods thinks about streets, councils, funding applications, residents, data, customer experience and carbon. As COO at char,gy, he is trying to make it possible for the 40% of people who do not have access to a driveway to own and charge an EV outside their homes.  

In our first Change Makers episode of 2026, Adam Evans sat down with Alastair to talk about his move from telecoms into EVs, what it feels like to lead in a fast growing start up, and how you effectively scale something that touches almost every part of daily life. You can watch the full interview on YouTube. 

As recruiters, there were two themes that stood out from the conversation: 

• How Alastair actually found the COO role at char.gy and navigated the shift into a start up 

• The power of networks, for both candidates and companies, in a time where most senior roles don’t even make it to the open market 

To explore these ideas further, Levick Stanley co-founder, Jonathan Cox shares his thoughts, based on spending his days (and plenty of evenings!) helping senior leaders hire change and transformation talent.  

From telecoms to EV 

Alastair spent over two decades at BT and Openreach. When he stepped away, he had a rare thing in a senior career – time.  

He took a sabbatical, spent time with his young daughter, and used that breathing space to build his network across different sectors. The role with char.gy didn’t appear in an advert. It came through a conversation.  

The mix of purpose, people and practicality that lead to him accepting the role is something we are seeing more in senior moves. The decision is less “is this a step up on paper” and more “is this work I can feel good about, with people I want to spend my energy on”. 

For hiring managers and talent teams, this is a useful prompt. The job description will not be enough. Senior candidates will look at your purpose, your leadership and your ways of working, before deciding you are the right place for them. 

Scaling EV infrastructure is a system-wide change 

Char.gy’s mission is simple to explain, but hard to deliver.  

They fit charge points to lamp posts so people can charge near home. That sounds straightforward, but in reality, it means: 

• Working with councils to access funding 

• Rolling out hundreds of charge points across boroughs like Barnet, or cities like Brighton 

• Minimising disruption for local residents who may not even drive EVs 

• Training engineers to handle technical work and tough conversations on the doorstep 

• Getting the pricing and user experience right so people come back after their first charge.  

Its change and transformation on a civic scale.  

There are clear parallels with the work many of our clients do. Large programmes, lean teams, multiple stakeholders, highly regulated environments, and an end customer who simply wants something that works.  

For senior leaders, especially those considering a move into a more disruptive sector, Alastair’s story is a reminder that you will: 

• Need to be comfortable running towards complexity rather than away from it  

• Not have a large change team to delegate to 

• Often be the one fronting the story to people who are skeptical 

But how do you actually get into roles like this in the first place?  

Your next role will probably not be advertised 

Like most senior leaders, Alastair wasn’t scrolling on LinkedIn and hitting ‘Easy Apply’. He built relationships and let people know what he was interested in.  

Jonathan sees the impact of that approach every day.  

He estimates that, if he called fifty senior contacts who had moved roles in the last few years, around forty of them would say they found their job through their network, rather than an online application.  

Often, that looks like: 

• A former colleague making an introduction 

• A contact mentioning a role that is being discussed, but is not yet signed off 

• A recruiter who knows you well, putting you forward for something before it reaches the market 

At the same time, a single senior change role posted on LinkedIn can attract hundreds of applications within forty-eight hours, many via easy apply with minimal tailoring.  

For job seekers, the lesson is uncomfortable but important.  

If your entire job search strategy is built around online applications, you are putting yourself in the most crowded channel. Your chances improve dramatically when: 

• People in that world already know who you are 

• Someone credible is prepared to recommend you 

• You have spent time understanding the problems they are trying to solve 

What this means if you are hiring 

The same network dynamic affects companies just as much as candidates.  

Internal talent teams and LinkedIn have changed the recruitment landscape. On paper, they appear to reduce costs. In practice, they can increase the time to hire and create serious noise.  

Jonathan shared a recent story from a CTO who had inherited a team and process. One role had been open for a year, before being closed without being filled. Adding up the hidden costs, from leadership time spent interviewing to the impact of work not done, any “saving” quickly disappears.  

Increasingly, we are helping clients that want:  

• Speed with sense – Shortlists of well-matched CVs, not fifty CVs to wade through 

• Access to people they will not find themselves – Candidates who do not apply to adverts, or who would ignore a cold InMail, but who will listen to someone they have worked with before.  

This is where a specialist recruitment agency can help support internal talent teams, to get the best outcomes for the business.  

What should I consider when job hunting in 2026?  

A new year can often bring with it a wish for a new challenge. Jon has some top tips if you’re looking for a new role in 2026.  

• Do not rely on applications alone 

By all means, apply for roles that genuinely fit. But don’t stop there – reach out to people you have worked with. Speak to recruiters that you trust. Let your network know what you are looking for.  

• Expect to put in more effort than before 

The market is tighter and there is a lot of competition. You should expect to put more effort into reaching the right people on the hiring side. 

• Adopt a yes attitude 

In leaner teams, ‘that’s not my job’ lands badly. The leaders who will thrive in 2026 are the ones that can be strategic and be prepared to do the extra 20% to keep things moving 

• Do proper due diligence 

Alastair was clear about this. Meet your future boss. Meet some of the team. Understand how the business makes decisions.  

Stay curious. Stay connected 

If you’d like to hear more from Alastair directly, visit our YouTube channel.  

And if you are thinking about your own next move, or planning to build your team in 2026, we are always happy to talk, whether you sit in a senior leadership team, a hiring manager role or an internal talent function. Reach out to the team to get started.