Speakers

Baroness Verma is a highly influential figure, both as an outward facing global business leader and within the numerous political positions she has held.  

Since entering the House of Lords in 2006, she has held several key ministerial appointments, in government and opposition, notably for energy and climate change, and international development.

She also has significant experience in chairing committees, both in the private and public sectors – formerly serving as Chair of both the European External Affairs Committee and UN Women UK, the national committee of UN Women.  

A strong and committed advocate of diversity and inclusion, she is involved in a wealth of influential initiatives to create a more inclusive working environment and society. She has led from the front specifically on gender and race discriminations, both in her political position as well as in her many roles on committees. Baroness Verma was the Prime Minister’s Ministerial global champion for tackling violence against women and girls as a government minister.  

After seeing the lack of senior women in energy when an energy minister, she co-founded Powerful Women – which has helped changed the way women are supported in the sector.

Baroness Verma has received numerous accolades over the years, as a business leader, politician and champion on rights and access to opportunities. She doesn’t shy away from being forthright and honest but has always embraced the art of cooperative support as the most successful way to achieve results.     

Laura Sandys has been working in energy transformation for 20 years and chairs the UK Regulator’s Network Innovation Taskforce, Sero Homes, The Green Alliance, The Food Foundation and Electrify Industry.  She is on the board of SSE Transmission, Ohme Global, and Highview Power. She is an Honorary Fellow at Imperial College and a member of the EPRI Advisory Council.

She was the Chair of the UK Government’s Energy Digitalisation Taskforce and is now working globally to spread best practise of the digitalisation of the energy system, making keynote speeches in Australia, India and the USA.  

Laura was awarded a CBE in recognition for her work on energy policy, was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award by Green Economy by Business Green and Utility Week Industry Champion in 2019.  

She was previously a Member of Parliament for South Thanet, and described by The Times as ‘one of the sanest of all MPs’ and as ‘lateral-minded, original and free-thinking’.

Joanna Addison is currently the Global Sector Leader for Energy/Energy Transition for Linklaters law firm where she is responsible for developing, overseeing and driving both the energy sector and client engagement strategy of the firm. Prior to joining Linklaters, Joanna was Head of Legal for Shell in Qatar and before that she was head of Herbert Smith Freehills’ energy practice in the Middle East, as well as managing partner of the Doha office.

Joanna has practiced law in the global energy industry for over twenty years, advising on some of the largest energy transactions of the past two decades.

She has routinely collaborated with senior members of industry and government, including serving on governmental committees reviewing and implementing new energy strategies, and briefing ministerial and C suite executives on challenges and opportunities.

She is passionate about embracing and supporting diversity and inclusion, as well as mentoring and developing others. She has been a coach and mentor for over 12 years, working with both juniors and leaders, supporting DE&I mentoring programs and reverse mentoring programs, and driving care within the workplace. She is currently an ambassador for POWERful Women, a professional initiative to create a gender balanced, diverse and inclusive energy sector.

Mac Alonge, CEO of The Equal Group and former KPMG consultant, is a strategic advisor to the UK’s leading institutions.

Trusted by partners such as the Mayor of London, Wellcome Trust and Lloyds Banking Group, Mac facilitates executive Inclusive Leadership sessions that drive performance, backed by board-level advisory roles with Social Finance.

Bradley has worked as a Communications Officer at SGN for almost nine years and founded their LGBTQ+ employee network SGN Pride in 2023. He is also a freelance theatre writer and director, as well as presenting for Portsmouth’s Express FM, including annual coverage of Portsmouth Pride.

Having been a staunch ally for many years, Bradley came out as pansexual in 2023 and last year was diagnosed with ADHD. His eldest child identifies as non-binary and his daughter is bisexual.

Bradley is looking forward to sharing his personal experiences and discussing intersectionality with attendees.

Irene Bruce leads OEUK’s work on workforce strategy, industrial relations and skills policy across the UK energy sector.

Within the organisation’s People and Skills function, Irene is responsible for engagement with employers, trade unions and government on employment frameworks, skills development and workforce transition. Her work focuses on supporting a safe, fair and sustainable workforce as the UK’s energy mix evolves, ensuring people and skills considerations remain central to delivering the transition to a low-carbon future.

Irene has an extensive background in employment and employee relations, with a strong focus on collective bargaining, industry agreements and building workforce resilience. She brings a practical, evidence‑led perspective to equity, diversity and inclusion, recognising the critical role that inclusive workplaces play in attracting people, helping them progress and enabling them to achieve long-term skills sustainability across the energy industry.

Jon has over 45 years’ experience in the gas and electricity industry and a strong track record of building successful businesses in regulated and competitive energy markets across the UK, Europe and US.

He was previously the Chief Executive of National Grid Ventures leading, amongst other things, the construction of the electricity interconnector fleet across the North Sea connecting enough carbon-free energy from Europe to power 7.8 million homes in the UK.

Jon was awarded the MBE in 2009 for services to Britain’s Gas Industry. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, and a Companion of the Institute of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM), and was previously President of the Pipeline Industries Guild. He is a non-executive director of Pennon Group and chairs the Pennon Health & Safety Committee.

Jane champions RenewableUK’s members to drive awareness of policy challenges, galvanise support and delivery of renewables, and publicly highlight the sector’s benefits.

As a leader in the renewable energy industry, she works closely with the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) and the Onshore Wind Industry Council (ONWIC) to align the Government’s ambitions with industry deliverables. Over the last decade, Jane has built a deep, sector-wide expertise, contributing significantly to landmark collaborative initiatives such as the Offshore Wind Sector Deal and the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership.  

A Chartered Mechanical engineer, Jane previously served as the Director of Regulatory and External Affairs at Ørsted, where she played a pivotal role in shaping industry regulations and fostering strategic partnerships between the Government and the private sector. Jane is Chair of the Aura CDT Strategic Advisory Board and co-Chair of the Floating Offshore Wind Executive.

Sandy is a System Planning Engineer at UK Power Networks, specialising in electricity network planning, connections and price controls. Informed by both public and private sector experience, he has a strong background in electricity generation, markets, and both grid-scale and consumer-led flexibility.

Driven by the power of paying great experiences forward and his passion for collaboration, Sandy is also an active contributor to the wider energy community: he serves as Vice-Chair of the Energy Institute’s Professional Development Committee, and is an Ambassador for the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Graduate Engineering Engagement Programme (GEEP). He was previously Vice-Chair of Energy UK’s Young Energy Professionals (YEP) Forum.

Miya has held the role of UK CEO at ENGIE since December 2023, representing the company, leading its strategy, and supporting growth. She also sits on the Executive Committee of ENGIE’s Energy Management entity, supervising commercial origination, portfolio optimisation and trading activities across the UK and Europe.

Miya has 25 years of professional experience, with two decades at ENGIE in the energy industry. Over this time, she has held executive positions across France, Romania and the UK, in Retail B2C / B2B, Energy Management and Corporate Projects, across both gas and power markets.

Miya began her career as a strategy consultant at Roland Berger and holds a MSc in business and management from ESCP Business School.

One of the few female UK CEOs in the industry and with a multicultural background, Miya is a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion in the energy sector.

Miya is an Energy UK Board Member and a Member of the Energy Leaders Coalition. She also sits as Chair of the POWERful Women’s Leadership Coalition.

Juliette joined Energy UK in January 2022. She holds a Masters in Engineering from Cambridge University, and has held a variety analytical and communications roles across low carbon generation at Equinor, Orsted and EDF Energy, winning awards for her work.

Juliette is passionate about inspiring and developing others in the energy sector; she was part of the initial team that set up Women in Nuclear, and is a founding member of the TIDE initiative – set up to improve Equity, Diversity and Inclusion across the energy industry. She is also an honorary lecturer at the University of East Anglia.

Lawrence is Chief Executive of ENA. He joined the organisation in February 2023.

He was previously Chief Executive Officer of GIIA, the membership body for the world’s leading institutional investors. Prior to his role with GIIA, Lawrence began working with Energy UK in 2011, becoming its Chief Executive in January 2015. Additionally, he served on the boards of Eurogas and Eurelectric in Brussels.

He has been involved in the energy industry since the late 1990s, working in countries all over the world.

Lawrence is a Board member of Connected Kerb, and a Board Trustee of the Money Advice Trust and the St Clare Hospice. He is also a Fellow of the Energy Institute.

Nick Turton is a senior leader in communication and public policy specialising in energy and the clean economy. He has spent more than twenty years in Whitehall, the non-profit sector and in private sector consultancy, advising government ministers and corporate leaders, leading integrated communication and content teams and building brand recognition and thought leadership. 

A Fellow of the Energy Institute, Nick now helps organisations in the clean power and heat sectors develop their public and market visibility in Germany and the UK. He has been a member of the Pride in Energy steering committee for four years, supporting the initiative’s communication activity and annual survey.

Dhara joined Energy UK in November 2021 and assumed the role of Chief Executive in November 2024. She is an expert in energy consumer issues and the energy transition, and was named ‘Executive of the year’ at the 2023 Trade Association Forum Awards. Prior to joining Energy UK Dhara led work on Net Zero, the future energy system and decarbonisation at Citizens Advice.

Dhara began her career in local government and has worked across a broad range of policy areas from civil society to community building and deliberative democracy. She has been an active member of several Government and academic advisory boards, is on the Boards of Green Alliance and EVA England, and is a primary school governor. 

Nick Wayth has held a broad career at the forefront of change in the energy industry as it adapts ever faster to tackling climate change. Since May 2021, Nick has been chief executive of the Energy Institute.

Prior to this he spent nearly 22 years at BP plc in a broad variety of executive and management roles. Latterly Nick held the post of Chief Development Officer of Alternative Energy, where he led BP’s strategy and business development in a broad range of renewable technologies, including solar, offshore wind and digital energy. Through this role Nick was also a member of the BP Ventures Investment Committee, sponsoring several of BP’s venture investments.

Nick also held senior roles as VP Competitor Intelligence and as Head of North America Investor Relations, based in Houston. Nick’s early career was spent in a variety of operational, technical, and commercial roles in the upstream business, based offshore in the North Sea, Aberdeen, Algeria and London.

Nick holds a PhD in Mechanical / Electrical Engineering and a degree in Mechanical Engineering, both from the University of Southampton.  Nick is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and a Fellow of both the Energy Institute and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Nick is passionate about creating an inclusive and supportive environment for everyone and is a Board Member of POWERful Women. Nick also advises and mentors entrepreneurs in energy start-up companies.

Outside of work, Nick enjoys running, cycling, yoga and spending time with his wife, Debbie, and their two sons