Women in Utilities

In this episode I sat down with Shannon Katcher, who is the Executive Director of Digitalisation and Data at GTI, a leading research, development and training organisation for the energy industry based in Chicago.
Shannon shares how her curiousity lead her to study science, how she found her calling when working with technology and Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, and why she believes the utility and energy sector is increasingly ready to adopt digital transformations.
We talk about diversity of thought and how important this is to innovation, the role of data and digitalisation in a low-carbon future and Shannon shares how sometimes it is appropriate to say no to an opportunity.

Thanks for listening. If you have any suggestions or comments, please reach me at [email protected] 

This episode features Ashley Donnini, the CEO at Lola Link Consulting. Lola Link is a consulting firm that specialises in linking strategy to operations and making visions a reality for its clients. 
Having "grown up" working in utilities, Ashley shares how she got started in the industry, what it's like being a business owner and and three key pieces of advice that have served her well through-out her career.

You can reach Ashley on LinkedIn or at [email protected]

I can be reached at [email protected].

Thanks for listening!

This episode features Dr. Genevieve Simpson who is the Government Relations Manager at Western Power, a Western Australian state owned energy supplier. Genevieve shares her thoughts on how utilities need to adapt to changing consumer behaviour, how they can work with regulators to achieve strategic outcomes and what impact climate change may have on utilities. She explains why she continues to work in utilities and shares her advice for women looking to progress their careers in this field. 

Genevieve is an active member of the Australian Institute of Energy. You can find more details about this organisation at www.aie.org.au.

To reach me, Madhavi Shankarling, my email is [email protected]. I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments or suggestions.

Today's guest is Cherry Zhao, a Utilities Engineer who works with the New South Wales State Government on road projects around Sydney, Australia and is actively pursuing her engineering Chartership. Cherry shares what she does as a Utilities Engineer and how varied the role can be, her development and career goals, and how digital engineering is being rapidly adopted and changing the way projects are being managed. 

If you have any suggestions or comments regarding the Women in Utilities podcast, please reach out to me, Madhavi Shankarling, at [email protected].

On the show today is Revana Boodhraj. Revana's shares how her childhood curiousity was sparked by the "box next door", and how she went on to become an an electrical engineer who is currently working as a Senior Business Analyst at Western Power. Revana shares very practical advice for how to overcome the biggest obstacle to your success, how she stretched herself and got out of her comfort zone to achieve her goals, and how a little stubbornness can be a good thing for your career! 

**A note about the sound quality - our first recording together wasn't the best quality, so Revana graciously agreed to a second interview. This episode stitches the two recordings together. It's a really great episode, so please do bear with the sound quality, and stick around to the end for all Revana's gold**

Reach me, Madhavi Shankarling, at [email protected], with any questions, comments or suggestions.

This episode features Dr Lindsay Jenkins, Vice President of Strategy and Technical Operations at Urbint. Urbint is a start up based in New York City, that's using Artificial Intelligence to mitigate risks in the field, to protect workers and infrastructure. She shares what got her interested in utilities in the first place, what opportunities and challenges lie ahead for the industry and valuable advice for women looking to build a career in this field. The conversation touches on damage prevention, digital transformation and "life's seasons". 

For more information, Lindsay can be reached at [email protected]. 

If you have any suggestions or thoughts on the Women in Utilities podcast, you can reach me, Madhavi Shankarling, at [email protected]