A SOFTWARE company is to represent Scotland in a UK-wide management team of the year awards.

Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS), which is based in Glasgow, uses software that integrates renewable energy into the power grid.

The executive team behind the technology has scooped the prestigious Scottish Venture-backed Management Team of the Year at this year’s BVCA Management Team Awards. It will now represent Scotland in the UK finals in November.

SGS’s enterprise-level distributed energy resources management system (DERMS) software connects a full spectrum of low carbon technologies to the grid (e.g. electric vehicles, solar and wind power generation, battery storage, flexible loads) while optimising grid operations and revenues for distribution network customers.

The award was open to companies backed by a venture capital firm, where the investment was substantially to develop an innovative technology product or service. SGS investors Scottish Equity Partners made the initial nomination, before independent assessors Grant Thornton interviewed the shortlisted management teams, covering track record, achievements to date and future plans, plus team structure and strategy.

A representative of Grant Thornton’s judging panel said of SGS’s success: “Jim Kent and his team have created an industry-leading product at Smarter Grid Solutions, resulting in a business which has performed incredibly well in a competitive market. They have successfully transitioned to a software product model, expanded internationally and created a trusted reputation and brand, underpinned by the management team’s strong technical capabilities. There is huge potential for further growth.”

Jim Kent, CEO of Smarter Grid Solutions, said: “This award is a special one for us, as it emphasises not only the quality of our products and internationalisation strategy, but also pays tribute to the fantastic team we have here at SGS. Their tireless hard-work and attention to detail means that our world-class product is continuously being improved and refined to reflect the needs of our global customer base.”