A passionate policy expert focused her thinking from general health to a more helping hand in supporting her community.
Ella Pinder lives in Normanton near Wakefield and spends her days working across Northern Powergrid to ensure that vulnerable customers’ needs are considered for every project the business undertakes.
The 27-year-old is the Vulnerability Policy Manager at the region’s largest electricity distribution network operator, a role that sees her combine all her passions into one to better the community.
Ella has always been interested in health, policy, and climate change, but wasn’t finding her role in the Civil Service as fulfilling as she’d hoped.
That’s when she saw an opportunity at Northern Powergrid unlike anything she’d seen before, a role that she could really get her teeth into and make a difference in the community.
The French and Spanish graduate from the University of York now finds herself exploring how Northern Powergrid can facilitate a fair and equitable transition to net zero.
Ella’s role is significantly customer focused, working with focus groups to ensure Northern Powergrid are offering the right support to those who need it most.
The team has grown from just her two years ago to seven, an incredible opportunity for them to provide more guidance and advice to customers as we work towards net zero.
The introduction of grants for low carbon technologies and a more energy efficient way of living keeps Ella and her team on their toes, making sure customers receive as much help as they need to become more reliable on renewable energy.
Ella said “My role is not just about keeping customers safe; it’s about making sure they are set up for the future and able to thrive.
“Customers who come to us struggling with fuel poverty are likely to be affected by a number of other types of poverty, which is why working alongside partner organisations is so key in my role.
“We’ve got to make sure that we give each and every customer the correct guidance depending on their circumstances and what they want.
“We want them to know that Northern Powergrid is here to help, and that we will refer them to others to give them more support beyond what we can offer.
“One of the things I love about this role is the ability to see something through from start to finish, I’m there at the inception of ideas and I work them all the way through until they are standard practice across the business.
“But the thing I love most about my role is watching my colleagues here go above and beyond for the customer each and every time.
“It’s great to see how much everybody cares about doing the right thing by our customers.”
Louise Lowes, Director of Customer Service, said “The role Ella and her team undertake is crucial to our Customer Service offering, making sure we design and deliver services which support those most in need across our communities.
“Since Ella started in the role just over two years ago, she’s really changed the way we think about vulnerable customers, and it’s helped raise our overall standard of communication and interaction with customers.
“Anyone can be vulnerable, and sometimes people are a little too proud to ask for help, but asking for help when you need it most is one of the most noble things we can do.
“As we move towards a greener energy future, there are a number of ways we can set ourselves up to be in the best position but navigating a new world you don’t understand is scary, which is why Ella’s team are here.”
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