Magnus Energy strengthens its consulting practice with Walter de Leeuw
Walter de Leeuw, a highly experienced consultant with an extensive track record in the energy sector, has joined Magnus Energy as a Director. With Walter on board, Magnus Energy further deepens and expands its consulting practice. What are his experiences, working for more than 20 years in both consulting and the energy sector? What kind of ground-breaking programmes and projects will he be working on?
Could you share a bit about your professional background?
After studying Economics, I began my career as a management consultant at KPMG, focusing on transformation and performance improvement projects in the financial sector. Over time, I realised I wanted to apply my consulting skills to something with broader societal impact – the future of our energy system. That’s why I joined Alliander, one of the Dutch Distribution System Operators (DSOs), to work on major transformation programmes shaping the energy transition from within.
After five years, I returned to consulting to support even more energy companies in their challenges. Following a brief stint in a field management and coaching & development role for a company providing interim and consulting roles, I moved to a management and technology consulting firm. There, I had the opportunity in recent years to lead the company’s energy transition team in the Netherlands and guided several large-scale programmes with strategic impact.
What kind of programmes would those be?
One example is a large-scale programme at a Dutch DSO, where my team and I worked on improving forecasting and market activation as part of the energy transition. We combined data-driven analysis with behavioural pilots and policy innovation. For instance, we launched a mobility pilot to understand and influence charging behaviour for electric vehicles (EVs), exploring how smart-charging incentives could reduce congestion on the grid. Another initiative was the introduction of new contractual models for solar parks, redefining when producers could feed electricity into the network and how flexibility could be rewarded.
These initiatives were part of a broader, multi-year transformation programme in which I led a team of consultants working alongside client experts to strengthen forecasting capabilities, develop flexibility propositions, and translate strategic ambitions into practical tools and governance. Our work helped the client gain a clearer view of customer demand, prioritise investments, and collaborate more effectively across business units.
Can you share another example?
Another example is a national research and innovation programme led by a construction company and funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, a government body dedicated to stimulating innovation. The consortium brought together grid operators, construction and technology companies, and universities to develop the next generation of smart energy systems to create a scalable “Internet of Energy” in which buildings, vehicles, and local energy communities exchange data, CO₂m and flexibility in real time. As programme manager, I was responsible for coordinating the consortium’s research agenda and ensuring that the technical, organisational, and business results were delivered across ten work packages and more than a dozen partners.
Building on that experience, my team and I later supported the construction company in translating research outcomes into a market and implementation strategy for its congestion-management proposition. This involved analysing market potential, defining customer segments, and shaping a commercial roadmap for the company’s new energy-services portfolio. Together, these initiatives bridge the gap between research and market reality – turning collaborative innovation into scalable business opportunities for the energy transition.
What do you look forward to in your role as Director at Magnus Energy?
What excites me most is that Magnus Energy is entirely focused on the energy transition; the teams combine in-depth technical expertise with strong project management and strategic consulting capabilities. I also value Magnus Energy’s European outlook. Learning from experiences and best practices across Europe will help us support the Dutch utilities sector even better.
My focus will be on guiding clients from strategy to implementation: helping them navigate the ever-evolving energy transition. Supporting strategic decision-making, resolving operational hurdles, and leading the transformation that is needed. Together with our clients and our team, I aim to make a real, positive impact.
What makes this sector such an interesting one to work in?
The energy transition is one of the most critical challenges of our time. It shapes how we live, work, and move. Its complexity demands more than technical innovation – it requires new ways of working together. For me, the real satisfaction comes from helping organisations make that transition tangible and lasting.
“Walter brings along a strong mix of consulting experience, deep sector insights, and leadership. His ability to translate strategy into actionable change aligns perfectly with our ambition to help clients in the Dutch utilities sector even better.” – Alexander van der Mark, Managing Director Magnus Energy
If you want to learn more about Walter, his experiences and new energy services portfolio, reach out via info@magnusenergy.com.