Technology Champion

This award celebrates an outstanding woman who has truly embraced technology, digital transformation, BIM, digital engineering, AI and more to make a transformative difference on a project or to a team or business.

The contenders

Amanda Barker

Centrica

Amanda Barker is an outstanding Technology Champion who has delivered sustained, large‑scale transformation across a complex utilities retail environment. Going beyond her formal remit, she defined and executed a bold technology vision, translating strategy into clear, multi‑year roadmaps with material business value. Amanda led the adoption of AI‑enabled automation, platform‑based delivery and operating‑model redesign to improve customer outcomes, efficiency and resilience at scale. Combining technical expertise with end‑to‑end accountability, she cuts through complexity to accelerate delivery. A role model, Amanda demonstrates how inclusive, purpose‑driven technology leadership can reshape the sector and inspire women across utilities.

Chiara Villanacci

Sirio

Chiara is a technology leader and AI department founder who turned strategic vision into operational reality. She collaborated with external machine learning engineers to deliver a working prototype of the AI Stakeholder Triangulation Tool within six months, before building and leading the dedicated AI team that exists today. Her defining strength lies in bringing together the right people around a shared vision. The result is an AI Stakeholder Triangulation Tool now adopted by four energy networks, cutting triangulation time from months to minutes. A genuine business breakthrough and a lasting contribution to the sector.

Ellie Crawford

E.ON Next

Market-wide Half Hourly Settlement (MHHS) is a major UK electricity reform, modernising the grid for NetZero by settling usage every 30 minutes. It enables time-of-use tariffs and reduces settlement times from 14 to 4 months by July 2027, unlocking billions in consumer benefits. As a Woman in Tech, Ellie led E.ON Next’s technology delivery and proactively lobbied the external Elexon programme as a 'trusted, critical friend', consistently contributing to shaping industry direction, especially during System Integration Testing (SIT) with her team. Her spearheading efforts made E.ON Next the first Supplier to successfully migrate MPANs to the new arrangements.

Geordie Wilson

Affinity Water

Geordie Wilson is leading one of Affinity Water’s most significant digital transformations, delivering smart metering at unprecedented scale and pace. She's mobilised an entirely new end‑to‑end supply chain and exceeded key regulatory milestones, while also improving customer satisfaction and financial performance. She's an inspirational role model for women in utilities and those aspiring to lead major technology programmes. Starting her career in the company’s contact centre in 2012 while at university, she has retained a strong customer focus as she’s progressed, with her results driven by digital fluency, resilience, and the collaborative, inclusive culture she has built within

Kara Flook

EON UK

Kara Flook is an emerging force in utilities technology, transforming how E.ON embraces digital innovation. Joining the industry in 2022 with a non traditional background, she has rapidly become a standout leader—driving 16 proof of concepts, enabling over 1,000 colleagues to experience emerging technologies and delivering £1.2m annual savings through digital learning transformation. Kara led the rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot, shaped E.ON’s AI adoption, and supports operational safety and insight at our Biomass Plant through emerging technology. Named on Computing’s Tech Women Celebration 50 list, Kara is a role model redefining what a Rising Star in utilities can be.

Kate Broom

Sureserve

Kate Broom is the driving force behind one of the most significant operational transformations in UK social housing. As Group Head of Business Change at Sureserve, a national leader supporting over 1.2 million residents and one in six social homes across the UK, she has helped redefine what technology and innovation looks like in a traditionally process-led sector, introducing resident-first digital transformations that have reshaped service delivery. Kate's commercial acumen with lived empathy, delivering measurable performance and improved resident dignity has set new benchmarks for innovative women in UK energy and housing.

Linh Nguyen

National Gas

Linh Nguyen plays a central role in transforming how the UK gas transmission network makes investment decisions. Working across more than 200,000 assets and over 7,000 km of pipeline, Linh develops advanced Python modelling and decision tools which turn complex engineering and financial data into clear, practical insights. Her work directly supports a £1.8 billion asset health investment programme for RIIO-3. By replacing legacy modelling tools with transparent digital systems and giving engineers intuitive ways to explore risk and investment choices, Linh has helped the organisation shift from reactive asset replacement to proactive, risk driven planning.

Odilia Bertetti

UK Power Networks

Odilia Bertetti is leading technology transformation, opening the electricity network to more renewable, affordable power. Throughout her career, she has used engineering to make clean energy practical and inclusive. In her current role at UK Power Networks’ DSO, she has led the rollout of the Distributed Energy Resources Management System (DERMS) and flexible connections as successful technology solutions. Together, these have already enabled 458MW across 55 sites, including wind and solar farms, to connect sooner to the network - enough to power 305,000 households for a year. Her work has also contributed to avoiding £694 million in reinforcement costs.

Rachael Millar

SP Energy Networks

As one of 5 women in my Graduate Engineer cohort, I grabbed each and every opportunity across my placements to find methods of improvement, clarity and understanding for the graduates that came after me. When chosen to be one of 10 Global Graduate Engineers in the first ever cohort for our company, I worked with other women on my team to create guidance for safe travel and living in a new country for the future years of graduates, something exceptionally important for women travelling alone.

Zoe Shaughnassy

Oakland

Zoe Shaughnessy is helping transform how the UK water industry shares and uses data. What began as a small request to define a data publishing process evolved into a sector leading open data initiative under Zoe’s leadership. She helped shape Yorkshire Water’s open data strategy and built the governance and delivery frameworks needed to make open data sustainable and impactful. As a result, Yorkshire Water has become a leading contributor to the Stream open data initiative. Through technical expertise, determination and strategic thinking, Zoe has positioned open data as a catalyst for transparency, collaboration and innovation across the utilities sector.