The rising stars of the energy industry were out in force last night to celebrate excellence across the sector at the Energy UK Young Energy Professionals (YEP) Forum’s annual awards ceremony.
Now in its 11th year, the YEP awards turn the spotlight on the brightest emerging talent across the full breadth of the UK energy industry to celebrate achievements over the past year.
The 2025 event, hosted by award-winning magician Fergus Flanagan, brought together industry leaders and young professionals with up to a decade of experience in the energy sector for the biggest ceremony yet.
Kayte O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer at NESO, delivered a keynote speech to set the stage for the night’s festivities, which saw more YEP awards than ever before.
Nine awards – including new categories recognising excellence in communications and engagement, and supply chain innovation – were judged by a panel of experts drawn from across the sector.
The full list of this year’s winners is:
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Focus Award (sponsored by SGN & judged by Monica Collings OBE, Chair of POWERful Women)
Jinkai Chan, JLL
Customer Champion Award (sponsored by Centrica & judged by Priya Brahmbhatt-Patel, Executive Director of Communications and Engagement at Ofgem)
Connie Duxbury, Croydon Community Energy
Rising Star Award (sponsored by ESB & judged by Kayte O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer at NESO)
Nene Yamasaki, UK Power Networks
Communications and Engagement (sponsored by Utility Week & judged by Gavin Ellwood, Executive Chair of Ellwood Atfield)
Meghan O’Neil, So Energy and Ben Norman, Hinkley Point C
STEM Trailblazer (sponsored by E.ON & judged by Matthew Johnson, Chief Executive at Engage Consulting)
Frances Hagen, Centrica
Team of the Year (judged by Rich Hampshire, Vice President Consulting Expert at CGI)
Critical Materials Team at Decision Analysis Services
Supply Chain Innovator (judged by Vicky Parker, Energy, Utilities & Resources Leader at PwC)
Lynsey Shovlin, Crown Estate Scotland
Audrey Gallacher Award for Excellence (judged by Monica Davidson, Regulatory Manager, Consumer Regulation at Centrica)
Annabel Hall, SP Electricity North West
YEP of the Year Award (sponsored by RWE & judged by Dhara Vyas, Chief Executive at Energy UK)
Callum Morgan, EDF
Dhara Vyas, Energy UK’s CEO, said:
“It’s never been more important to celebrate the achievements of young talent in the UK energy sector. The fact that we continue to grow the list of YEP awards categories is testament to the broad range of excellence present at all levels of our industry. I hope this diversity attracts people from all backgrounds to contribute to our shared mission of achieving a clean and secure future energy system. The YEP Forum is a key contributor to this mission, and I commend its work in representing the best and brightest emerging talent.”
As part of Energy UK’s ongoing commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, all the categories in the YEP Awards were judged blindly to remove any bias and barriers.
A big thank you to NESO for sponsoring the YEP Forum and an award category, as well as all our sponsors for the YEP awards last night.
If you are interested in discussing our wider sponsorship opportunities, please contact membership@energy-uk.org.uk.
Notes to editors
- Energy UK is the trade association for the energy industry, representing companies investing billions of pounds to secure our country’s current and future energy needs. From growing start-ups to major electricity generators, grid and infrastructure developers and energy suppliers, our members are driving change across power, heat, transport and flexibility. We champion initiatives such as our Vulnerability Commitment, which pushes suppliers to go beyond regulation to support customers with additional needs, and TIDE, the industry’s drive for greater inclusion and diversity. Through our Young Energy Professionals Forum, with more than 3,000 members representing 350 organisations, we support the development of future leaders.
- Energy UK is proud to host the secretariat of the YEP Forum.
- The Young Energy Professionals (YEP) Forum is a community to promote and inspire the next generation of energy industry leaders, providing opportunities to connect, develop and recognise success. Sponsored by NESO and free to join, we have more than 3,000 members from across 350 different organisations. We run insightful events and initiatives throughout the year which cover the whole spectrum of the energy sector – from panel sessions and interviews with the sector’s senior leaders, to networking receptions, informal social events and site visits to some of GBs most significant energy infrastructure facilities. Check out our Annual Report from 2024 for more on what we got up to last year.