Interview: Dennis Stufkens

In June 2026, we were pleased to welcome Dennis Stufkens back to BritNed as our Commercial Director. Having previously served as BritNed’s Operations Director between 2019 and 2023, Dennis brings with him a comprehensive understanding of our interconnector, our customers, and the role BritNed plays in supporting safe, efficient energy flows between Great Britain and the Netherlands.

After giving Dennis a few weeks to settle back in, we sat down with him to talk about his return to BritNed, what has changed since his previous role, and his priorities as he steps into the Commercial Director position.

Read the full interview to hear Dennis’ reflections on returning to BritNed and what he is looking forward to in the months ahead.

Welcome back to BritNed. How does it feel to return, this time as Commercial Director?

Returning to BritNed, although in a different position, feels like coming home. I am delighted to be back.

What was your role before returning to BritNed?

Since leaving BritNed in 2023, I was the HSE manager for TenneT in the Netherlands, for both onshore and offshore.

What attracted you to the opportunity to return to BritNed?

Once the opportunity presented itself and I was asked if I would be interested in the Commercial Director role, I think I thought about it for roughly 10 seconds, before I accepted the offer. Having the opportunity to return was just too good to turn down. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at BritNed during my time as Operations Director and couldn’t wait to rejoin the team.

Having previously served as Operations Director, what feels familiar about BritNed — and what has changed since you were last here?

The BritNed spirit – the focus on creating the best performance for our customers feels familiar and motivates me to contribute.
Whilst some of the people have changed, the spirit and focus certainly hasn’t, and that’s really pleasing to see when stepping back into the environment.

What did your time as Operations Director teach you about the importance of reliability, safety and asset performance for BritNed’s customers?

Contributing to security of supply on both ends of the interconnector was key, by supporting reliability and safe operational performance of the interconnector.

How important is the relationship between the Operational and Commercial teams in delivering value for customers?

The relationship between Commercial and Operations is of the utmost importance – they can’t exist without each other. Both serve the same purpose, supporting the performance of being the ‘Interconnector of Choice’ for the market.

BritNed endeavours to deliver an unparalleled trading experience. What does that mean to you in practice?

To make it as simple, convenient and transparent as possible for our customers to trade via our BritNed systems. And always delivering on what we promise. We are very proud of the Empire platform and the trading experience we are able to offer to our customers though its creation and continuous development.

Empire was launched just before you left and has evolved at pace over the past three years. What is your impression of the platform now?

Empire is intuitive to use and the benefits of continuously developing the platform together with our customers are incredibly clear. Empire provides an easy, efficient trading environment, whilst providing customers with great choice and convenience in how they trade on the interconnector.

BritNed has a strong track record of innovation, from market developments to its dedicated trading platform. How do you want to build on that momentum?

We want to build further on and keep the momentum of innovation following our previous market developments. The markets are continuously changing, and we need to adapt in order to continue to meet customer needs. It’s a very exciting part of the business.

BritNed has a distinctive culture and a relatively small, specialist team. What do you value most about working in that kind of environment?

What I value most about a smaller, specialist environment like BritNed is the combination of ownership, expertise, and impact.
I appreciate cultures where decisions can be made efficiently and where people are empowered and trusted to contribute their ideas. Smaller teams often encourage open communication, accountability, and a strong sense of shared purpose. In BritNed, maintaining a critical piece of energy infrastructure requires exactly that kind of close-knit, high-performing culture, and that’s an environment where I believe I can both contribute and continue to grow in.

What are you most looking forward to as you begin your new role?

I’m most looking forward to being part of the BritNed culture again and the ability to learn in this new role. It’s an exciting time to be back at BritNed!