Speakers

Baroness Verma is a highly influential, 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. Baroness Verma is adept at leading teams from the front, strong in strategy development and transformational change. She has significant experience in chairing committees both in the private and public sectors.   

Baroness Verma is self-assured, confident in decision making and wise enough to build strong teams around her.  

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 when was a government minister.  

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.   

Former Energy and Climate Change Minister 

Former International Development Minister 

Former Prime Minister’s Global Champion to tackle violence against women and girls. 

Former Government Whip 

Former Opposition Minister for Cabinet, Health, Education and Equalities) 

Former Chair of the European External Affairs Committee 

Member of the EU Select Committee 

Committee Member of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee 

Baroness Verma is Chair of Nexus Green Ltd (international Renewable EPC) 

Director of Domiciliary Care Services Ltd (UK adult health care provider) 

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

She is former Chair of UN Women UK, the national committee of UN Women the only UN organisation that focuses specifically on women and girls.  

She is Chancellor of Roehampton University.  

Royston is a Principal Consultant at Engage Consulting and has now been working with clients across the industry for 10 years now. This work has mostly been focussed on new technology such as Smart Meters, Alternative HAN, Energy Smart Appliances, 10 sec data collection and Industry major programmes. Prior to this Royston worked for British Gas for 16 years.  

Lucia Blayke is a UK-based changemaker who advocates for the equality and inclusion of marginalized people.

In 2017, she founded London Trans Pride and led several community initiatives across the UK. She has since worked on several international fashion campaigns that celebrate diversity, with brands such as Dr.Martens, Benefit Cosmetics and Bed Head by Toni and Guy.

Blayke has also given lectures on community organizing at Oxford University and was featured as the leading expert of the trans equality movement in Channel 4’s “Freedom: 50 Years of Pride.”

Having qualified as an accountant, Jo spent the majority of her career in leadership roles working across the energy sector before setting up her own consulting company, EnergyBridge (UK) Limited in 2017, to help businesses and investors navigate the energy market. 

Jo has built a portfolio of Non Executive and advisory roles across the market. She is Chair of the OFGEM’s ESO Performance Panel, Chair of the Board of Thrive Renewables plc, Chair of the board of The Energy Consortium and a NED of Kensa Group Limited in addition to Board advisory roles to several clients. She works with organisations and individuals with a passion and ambition for facilitating the transition to a net zero world. 

Jo is one of the founders of the Womens Utilities Network (WUN). 

Gareth Dauley is an award-winning senior executive with 15+ years of experience driving sustainable energy solutions across Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. As CEO of KOE Group, he leads strategic investments in energy storage and Net Zero infrastructure, building on previous leadership roles at Pacific Green Technologies and Esu Consulting where he delivered 500MWh+ of battery storage projects . A passionate advocate for sustainability, Gareth co-founded IntoNetZero.org, mentoring inner-city youth and supporting ethnic minority professionals in energy. His unique blend of technical expertise in renewable energy systems and commercial acumen has positioned him as a trusted advisor to governments and industry bodies on climate strategy. Formerly an American Football player for Great Britain, Gareth brings the same discipline and teamwork to his mission of accelerating the global energy transition. 

Mayur Gondhea is the founder of CubeLynx a financial modelling consultancy that was founded on social principles. Mayur set up the company following his son’s diagnosis of Autism. He was acutely aware of the high unemployment rates for autistic people and felt financial modelling would be an excellent career path for certain neurodiverse people. CubeLynx support public and private clients across a range of energy sectors including offshore wind, heat networks, nuclear, solar, tidal, biomass, transmission and distribution. 

Karen Grayson is an equity, diversity and inclusion professional at the Royal Academy of Engineering. She brings longstanding experience in equality and human rights strategy and policy, and in EDI practitioner roles supporting service and programme delivery. At the Academy, Karen oversees the Diversity Impact Programme (grants to university engineering departments), the Progression Framework (an EDI maturity model for Professional Engineering Institutions), and EDI research (for example: The EDI Engine on the business benefits of EDI in engineering).

Rhian oversees all National Grid’s environmental sustainability activities. This includes setting strategic objectives around reducing emissions aligned to business strategy as well as creating internal alignment and external understanding of what National Grid is doing, including sustainability disclosures. She also leads National Grid’s international climate work.  

Prior to this, Rhian was responsible for corporate affairs activities on behalf of National Grid Ventures (NGV), National Grid’s commercial arm which invests in green technologies such as renewable energy. Before this, Rhian oversaw all corporate affairs activities on behalf of National Grid’s UK regulated businesses and led the Corporate Affairs support for the RIIO 2 price control.  

Rhian joined National Grid in 2017, to lead on UK & EU Public Affairs and Policy team; managing senior relationships across Whitehall and Westminster on strategic issues like Brexit, nationalisation and transport and heat decarbonisation. 

Before joining National Grid, Rhian was the Director of Infrastructure at the CBI, spearheading their campaigns to boost investment in infrastructure, the low-carbon economy and construction. She joined the CBI in 2006, helping to deliver the CBI’s ground-breaking report on climate change in 2007, which transformed the role businesses can play in the low-carbon economy.  

Rhian spent five years in Beijing, where she worked for the European Union Chamber of Commerce providing a bridge between European Business and the Chinese government

Louise leads bp in the UK and continental Europe integrating bp’s business activities. She represents bp in this region to all stakeholders and works with her network of 20 European heads of country to explain bp’s strategy, liaise with governments, build and grow key relationships and seek out partners to collaborate with on the journey to net zero.  

Louise joined bp in 2021 from the Energy Institute (EI), where she had been the CEO, bringing knowledge and experience across a broad range of issues within the energy industry and beyond. During her time at the EI, Louise worked in the public interest at the intersection of the energy industry, policy and education where she led the development of industry good practice, evidencebased policy and learning opportunities for people interested in energy.  

She is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion and building a low carbon future for all. She chairs bp’s UK DE&I Council and serves as a member of the company’s global Women in Energy committee. Externally, she is a founder member of the Powerful Women Energy Leaders Coalition and Chair of BITC’s Community Climate Fund Advisory Board.  

Internally, Louise serves as a Chair and board member of a number of bp subsidiary companies across Europe and the UK and is also a board member of the Trustee of bp’s UK Pension Fund.  

Louise is also a non-executive director of VH Global Energy Infrastructure plc.  

In 2022, she was appointed a Commander of the Order the British Empire (CBE) for services to the energy industry, having received and OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2011. In 2017 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science from University of Bath 

Lauren leads Murray’s specialist Policy, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications function and for over 10 years has recruited across trade and membership organisations, regulators, corporates, government bodies and charities.  For several years, the strategic priorities of the energy industry have been an increasingly high-profile topic to policymakers and this space has been a key area of focus for Lauren, in which her experience and network have provided rounded insight into the existing initiatives as well as historic and current challenges.  

Believing that recruiters play an important role in realising diverse and inclusive workforces, Lauren is also Murray’s EDI lead, striving to learn and share best practice with clients and candidates alike. Committed to levelling the playing field, Lauren works with leadership to understand challenges and break down barriers to access, entry and progression through the recruitment process.   

Lewis is a Pride in Energy committee member who is passionate about supporting the industry transition to not only a net zero future, but an inclusive one. An energy regulation consultant at Moorhouse, he has spent the past 8 years leading on some of the industry’s biggest change programmes, working with Ofgem, DESNZ, retailers, gas and electricity networks and generators. In addition to his role in Pride in Energy, he leads the Moorhouse LGBTQ+ ERG 

Melissa is Director of External Affairs and Partnerships at charity and social business Catch22. She oversees the charity’s corporate partnerships, including National Grid, Shell UK, Microsoft, Barclays and Salesforce, which fund employability programmes to support those furthest from the job market into work. Melissa also leads Catch22’s communications and policy team, looking to raise the profile of the organisation and its impact use frontline experience to drive policy change in the public sector delivery space.  

Prior to Catch22, Melissa was Head of Media and External Affairs at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and has previously worked in a policy and communications agency. 

She loves all sports, is a keen saxophonist and has two young sons which keep her on her toes! 

Chris is the CEO of Centrica, an integrated energy company with interests across the entire energy value chain including gas production, electricity generation, gas and electricity storage, LNG, energy trading, wholesale and retail energy, and in-home services. With more than 10 million customers in the UK and Ireland, and 16 gigawatts of third-party electricity generation under management, Centrica is at the forefront of the energy transition in Europe.  

Chris and his 20,000+ colleagues have been leading a turnaround of Centrica over the past 4 years, resulting in a more resilient, focused business, ready to energise a greener, fairer future. Having delivered revenues of over £33bn and almost £3bn of pre-tax profits in 2023, supported by a strong balance sheet, the Group is now focused on delivering innovative customer propositions alongside investing in projects to add value and create long-term growth options aligned to the changing energy system.  

Chris is a Non-Executive Director of ITT Inc, manufacturer of critical, engineered components that serve fast-growing end markets in transportation, flow, energy, aerospace and defence.  

Chris has a masters from Duke University and a degree from the University of Glasgow and he is a Fellow of The Energy Institute. Chris has spent a large part of his working life in the energy industry, living and working in the UK, the US and Nigeria for Shell and BG Group. Prior to becoming CEO, Chris was CFO at Centrica and two other UK listed technology driven manufacturing businesses. 

Soore is a Commercial Manager at OVO working on the delivery of zero carbon products like Solar and Batteries. His corporate work experience and unique mix of entrepreneurship cuts across Renewables and Management consulting in Sub-Saharan Africa and the UK. He’s a Co-Founder of Energyz Black, a non profit organization established to support black talents to grow and thrive in the Energy industry. Soore is super passionate about connecting talents to opportunities in the energy sector in order to create change and drive innovation in Industry. 

Louise is Director of People & Organisational Development and Board member at Energy & Utility Skills, responsible for people, organisational resilience, health & safety and business continuity.  

As part of her role, Louise leads on diversity & inclusion. Working across the sector, she has played a key role in establishing the award winning Energy & Utilities Inclusion Commitment and sector wide Inclusion Measurement Framework. 

A Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, Louise is a senior HR leader and executive coach with over 25 years of experience working within HR, diversity and related roles. Louise is an Ambassador at Women’s Utilities Network (WUN) and a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Industry Leaders Group. She was also Co-Chair of the Tackling Inclusion and Diversity in Energy (TIDE) Insight Strategy Group, developing the TIDE Health Index launched in 2024. 

Ben is a Partner at Oaklin, an award-winning independent management consulting firm, where he leads the Energy practice. With nearly 15 years’ experience in consulting and board advisory, Ben specialises in helping organisations navigate the Energy Transition, deliver Net Zero, and shape the power system of the future. He has worked with some of the largest and most ambitious energy companies in the world, providing strategic advice and pragmatic solutions.

His expertise spans a wide range of topics, including market and business strategy, organisation design, and the mobilisation of complex infrastructure projects. He has led multi-billion-pound merger and acquisition programmes, developed operating models for global energy organisations, and worked to launch transformative business propositions.

In addition to his work in energy and renewables, Ben leads Oaklin’s Sustainability and ESG initiatives, driving both the firm and its clients to operate more sustainably. Committed to fostering collaboration across industry, academia, and policy, Ben is passionate about accelerating the energy transition and addressing the defining challenge of our generation: climate change.

Brit Pickering has been an influential part of NESO’s People Function since 2024, joining as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Manager. 

Previously, Brit was in Warwickshire Police, where she successfully led their DEIB efforts. – ensuring Warwickshire Police achieved Armed Forces Covenant Gold status and improving the relationship between Warwickshire communities and the Police. Her passion for DEIB began at university, so much so she went on to study an MSc in Terrorism, Security, and Policing, where she specialised in Hate Crime. Currently, Brit is pursuing a PhD focused on Hate Crime experienced by students, advocating for truly inclusive university cultures. Brit is dedicated to truly making a difference not only in NESO but in the communities NESO serves. 

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.

Katy Schnitzler is the Information, Training and Research Lead at the Miscarriage Association.  

Katy has collaborated with numerous organisations to raise awareness of, and to improve practice in, the area of pregnancy loss at work. Katy’s extensive knowledge and experience informs her training delivery, including findings from her own PhD, which investigates the lived experiences of miscarriage in the world of work.  

Prior to her role at the Miscarriage Association, Katy worked as an academic for over a decade, specialising in Health, Business, and Psychology. Katy has taught across degree and master’s level programmes, and continues to conduct research on reproductive health at work with universities.  

Jen Stobart is the Director of Tent UK, a network of over 80 major companies that are committed to hiring refugees across the country and helping them become job-ready.

Tent UK is the national coalition of Tent Partnership for Refugees’ global network of 500 companies committed to the labour market integration of refugees in their new communities.

Amie is a Government Policy Manager at Drax, specialising in biomass, sustainability, carbon markets, and carbon capture & storage. Prior to Drax, Amie had a number of energy policy roles at the Confederation of British Industry and RenewableUK. 

Amie is also a member of the Young Energy Professionals (YEP) Forum Steering Committee, supporting a community to promote and inspire the next generation of energy industry leaders.

Melissa Vogeley is a senior policy and programme leader driving the UK’s Clean Energy Workforce Strategy across government and industry. As Head of the Office for Clean Energy Jobs at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), she leads the cross-government initiative to ensure the UK has the skilled workforce required to become a clean energy superpower.

Melissa has held several roles in the Civil Service, covering biomethane, heat networks, and heat pumps, where she led and designed various market reforms to accelerate low-carbon heat deployment. She also brings over a decade of experience from the private and development sectors, having managed strategic projects for BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, IBM, and others.

She holds an MSc from SOAS University of London and brings a global, cross-sector perspective to the UK’s energy transition.

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. 

Adelle Wainwright is the Global External DEI Lead at National Grid,  responsible for providing leadership around the organisation’s external DEI approach. This includes partnerships, benchmarking and best practice sharing, to support DEI both within and outside National Grid. Prior to this she has an extensive background in energy sector regulation.

A longtime advocate of DEI, Adelle spent many years championing inclusion outside her day job before moving substantively into the DEI space, including working as an employee network Chair to advocate for diverse groups.

She was named on the 2022 Involve HERoes Future Leaders list in recognition of this work.   

Georgina joined POWERful Women in November 2021 and oversees the management of the initiative.  She works closely with the POWERful Women Board, energy CEOs and energy D&I Leads on the strategic development of the initiative and ensuring gender diversity remains on energy company agendas. 

Outside of POWERful Women, Georgina is a founding member of a wider cross-sector EDI initiative, Tackling Inclusion & Diversity in Energy, has been a member on government energy sector taskforces, and speaks at external events on the importance of gender diversity. 

Georgina was awarded her OBE in the 2025 New Year’s Honours List for services to diversity and inclusion in the Energy sector.