WUN4ALL

Join WUN Water Industry Advocate Gill Edwards as she discusses the amazing achievement of Thames Water,  winning two awards at the Women in Utilities Awards 2024 -   Women's Network of the Year and Best EDI Initiative .

In this episode, Gill chats with Dina Gillespie, Catchment Manager, and Emma Philogene, Engineering Manager at Thames Water, diving into their award-winning initiatives and the impact they are making in the industry 

Feeling inspired then why not Find out more about other Womens in Utilities Award Winners & how you can enter for this year 

Dina Gillespie has been with Thames Water since 2012 and before that held several roles in Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in the Social Housing sector. She is currently the Catchment Manager for Strategic Pumping Stations and Trunk Sewers.

Emma Philogene is a Chemical Engineer and has been with Thames Water since 2017. Before coming to the UK she spent 8 years working in Equatorial Guinea and Australia in both on-shore and off-shore engineering projects.

Together, Emma and Dina co-chair the Thames Water Women’s Network, which won two awards at the inaugural Women in Utilities Awards 2024. The first awards was for Women’s Network of the Year, and the second for best EDI Initiative, for their Women’s Network Allyship Programme. During this podcast they talk to Gill Edwards about the challenges women face in our sector, the journey the Thames Women’s Network has been on, why they are so passionate about the community they have grown, and how a community of women at work is so important at every stage of your career.

Gill Edwards has been a Water Industry Advocate for WUN since 2022. She’s been a Senior Project Manager with Skewb since 2000, and their lead for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access since 2021.

Join Jenny Barlow and Jessica Azige from Gentrack, one of WUN’s valued partners, alongside WUN advocates Karen Hosking and Jo Greenan, as they break down the barriers to networking in our latest podcast.

Networking can feel daunting, but it’s also a powerful tool for building connections, boosting confidence, and advancing your career.

In this episode, we explore:

• The challenges of getting started with networking.
• Practical tips to ease into it, from coffee machine conversations to LinkedIn comments.
• How small steps can lead to big opportunities.

🌟 Feeling Apprehensive About Networking?
WUN’s advocates are here to make sure everyone feels welcome at our in-person events. With a supportive community by your side, there’s no reason to.

Don't forget to join the free WUN network & come along to a networking event - it would be great to see you !
https://thewun.co.uk/join-wun/

In this bite size podcast, WUN advocate Kara Sadler, speaks to Carine Bou Tayeh, Senior Strategic Planning Engineer at Jersey Electric about her award winning celebration at the Women in Utilities Awards 2024.

Carine won the ‘Returning Star’ award, celebrating the achievements of a woman who has returned to her career following maternity leave or career break.

Following maternity leave with her first child, Carine returned to work in a flexible capacity to implement her project developing, key strategic, electricity infrastructure investment to help Jersey reach a net zero future – a project she planned during her pregnancy. Carine successfully delivered a remarkable project that will have a real impact on the Jersey community.

Meg Ginsberg is an assistant project manager at South West Water who has forged an inspiring career in the wastewater industry after facing significant personal and professional challenges. Born in Guildford and now based in Devon, Meg became a mother during the pandemic and navigated multiple surgeries that left her a wheelchair user by the age of 18. Originally pursuing a career in nursing, she shifted to project management, completing an apprenticeship and soon to start a degree apprenticeship at Exeter.

At South West Water, she manages large-scale projects across Devon and Cornwall, including flood and pollution reduction, working closely with engineers to modernise Victorian sewage systems and future-proof infrastructure.

Passionate about inclusivity, Meg launched "Construct Ability”, an initiative to help disabled people enter and thrive in construction and engineering.

With sights set on becoming an engineer herself one day, her unique perspective as a wheelchair user drives her mission to make the industry more accessible, adaptable, and diverse. Meg is proud to be part of an essential industry and hopes to continue changing perceptions and driving meaningful change.’ -Royal Academy of Engineering, National Engineering Day 2024 Role Model

This is truly a great listen!

Join Lillian Philip, WUN Advocate  in this latest WUN Podcast as she chats to Nina Moger, Transformation Director at Kraken Technologies and the 2024 Rising Star Award winner at the Women in Utilities Awards.

Nina shares insights from her inspiring career journey, her passion for climate action, building expertise in energy, and fostering trust and innovation in utilities. Discover her leadership philosophies, strategies for driving cultural transformation, and how she champions women in the industry.

Hayley Monks, WUN Board Member talks openly with Jo Dow from Business Stream on her recent win at the Women in Utilities Awards 2024.

Jo talks of her pride that Business Stream won three awards &   “ how unexpected it was,  hugely proud & very humbled by it “

 Jo talks about creating an inclusive environment, &  her pride that Business Stream won three awards &  “ how unexpected it was,  hugely proud & very humbled by it “

 Jo qualified as a chartered accountant while working in private practice. She joined the Finance team at Scottish and Southern Energy in 1998, before moving to join Scottish Water in 2002. In 2006, she was seconded to Business Stream to create the governance framework, funding structure and strategy for the new business in preparation for the retail market opening to competition.  Jo became Finance Director of Business Stream in 2006 and was appointed Chief Executive in October 2014.

During Jo’s time as CEO, she has led the successful delivery of the company’s ambitious growth strategy, helping cement Business Stream as one of the leading players in the UK water market. This has included two acquisitions of scale and securing a number of high profile, multi-million pound contracts. Jo has also held various external Board and senior level positions helping to drive market improvements for business customers, including sitting on the Strategic Panel which was set up to provide strategic direction to improve non-household customer outcomes, and being appointed as a Non-Executive Director for both the market operator (MOSL) in England and the Central Market Agency (CMA) in Scotland.

Jo is passionate about driving positive change for the environment and society as a whole. This belief led her to introduce the business’ purpose-led vision to make a positive difference to its customers, its people, the environment and local communities in 2019. Since then, the company has achieved a Gold rating from global sustainability assessors, EcoVadis, and become the first water retailer to join the United Nations (UN) Global Compact to support the delivery of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. To support others to achieve their responsible business goals, Jo sits on the Business in the Community (BiTC) Scotland Advisory Board, a business-led membership organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable business practices by inspiring members to build thriving communities in which they live and work and to make a positive difference to the environment.

Find out more about Women In Utilities Awards 2025

In this episode WUN Advocate Kara Sadler talks with Charlie Page, Engagement Manager within WaterAid's Water Industry Partnership team to discuss her experiences with the WUN #IAmRemarkable workshop.

Why not also benefit from an #IAmRemarkable (#IAR) workshop -then visit the WUN website to book your place:
  

https://thewun.co.uk/wun-events 

In this WUN podcast Julia Stichling, WUN Advocate speaks to the inspiring Andy Lax regarding his advocacy for women in the sector.

Andy is the Group Talent Acquisition Manager for OCU Group. He has worked in the Recruitment Industry for the last 20 years, predominantly across engineering and construction, including the last 3 years in the Utilities sector. Over the years he has seen a significant change in these industries with more opportunities being afforded to women in what has historically been a male dominated arena, which can only be seen as a positive step forward.

His advocacy for women in this industry is based purely on ability to fulfil the opportunities within the sector. Providing equal opportunity opens up a whole new talent pool for the industry which he believes is a positive step forward.

Rachel is Fisher German’s ESG Partner with 17 years’ experience in Utilities and infrastructure. Wider Responsibilities Include: Mentor to two highly motivated individuals at Fisher German, National Chair Pipeline Industries Guild, bringing together different people from across the industry to share knowledge and work together. Fisher Germans Internal Fertility Ambassador, a STEM ambassador and WUN Mentor. 

This is a first in a series of podcasts celebrating the achievement & sharing good practice from the winners at the WUN 2024 Women in Utilities Awards, in association with Utility Week 
 
Becky Percy, is Diversity and Inclusion Lead for E.ON UK, with responsibility for improving diversity and creating inclusive colleague experiences. 

Worked in the industry for over 20 years, with experience in internal communication, engagement, digital, agency management, diverse talent development, and culture change. Over the last three years, as D&I lead, created and delivered an insight-based strategy to improve engagement and experiences that put colleague voice and lived experiences at its heart. 

For further details regarding the WUN 2025 Women in Utilities awards in association with Utility Week.

 https://thewun.co.uk/events/women-in-utilities-awards-2025/