INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: MEET NORTHERN POWERGRID'S INSPIRING WOMEN IN DECARBONISATION

This International Women’s Day (IWD) we want to shine a spotlight on female colleagues who make a difference and power the everyday lives of 8 million customers across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

The theme for IWD this year is #InspireInclusion and at Northern Powergrid we strive to achieve a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, which represents the range of backgrounds and demographics in our local communities. 

Meet some of our female colleagues who are taking an active part in our Net Zero for the North Conference on Thursday 21 March, which will feature a stellar panel discussing women in decarbonisation.

The conference will bring together representatives from the energy sector, business, local government and other key stakeholders, to discuss how we can work together to address the challenges and opportunities decarbonising our region’s energy system will present.

Inspiring women in energy, taking part in Northern Powergrid’s Net Zero for the Conference, include: 

Gillian Williamson, Head of System Forecasting
Gillian Williamson is Head of System Forecasting at Northern Powergrid, leading the team who plan and forecast for our customers’ future energy needs. This intelligence forms where we invest in our network and deploy solutions that will enable our region to meet its net zero ambitions. 

As a Chartered Engineer with a background in power systems spanning over two decades, Gillian has wide ranging knowledge of the technical, commercial, and regulatory aspects of electrical distribution. 

Working within the Energy Systems directorate at Northern Powergrid, Gillian and her team are responsible for the improved analytics, modelling and data access required to enable a smarter, more flexible energy network necessary to efficiently accommodate more Electric Vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps as our customers decarbonise.

Claire Addison, Distribution System Operator (DSO) Review Panel Member 
Claire Addison is an experienced regulatory and policy expert, with fourteen years’ experience in the energy sector including demand side flexibility, energy storage and onshore wind, gas and coal assets in both GB and Irish markets. Since 2019, Claire has been Head of Regulation at Flexitricity, the Edinburgh based flexible electricity experts.

Previously, Clare spent five years working for The AES Corporation, a Fortune 200 energy company, most recently as Government & Regulatory Affairs Manager for the UK and Ireland. Before this, Claire worked for environmental NGOs in a range of external affairs and strategy roles. 

Register to attend

Northern Powergrid’s Net Zero for the North conference is taking place on 21 March from 11am to 3.30pm at The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, South Shore Road, Gateshead, NE8 3BA.

You can find out more and register your interest in attending here.