“Since joining as an advocate, I have met many amazing women across the utility industry. I have made friends and have been able to build my network which has helped me when I needed support or guidance. I’ve also been able to attend events on behalf of the WUN to gather knowledge outside of the water industry. Seeing the growth of WUN over the last year and being part of that also makes me very proud ”

Julia Stichling is the Managing Director at R2M Ltd., a supplier to all of the UK’s water utilities and their contractors. As well as being responsible for the Operations of the business, Julia has a wealth of experience in marketing.

Julia has been in the water industry for almost a decade, having started at the parent company of R2M, Hawle Austria Group, where she went through an Accelerated Development Programme and then continued to be the Sales Manager for the UK & Ireland before moving to R2M. Her international background has brought her from Germany to Japan, then Austria and now the UK, which is where she spends most of her time currently.

Julia found the WUN through LinkedIn & after joining her first event earlier this year, wanted to embed herself further in the WUN and help support other women in the utility industry as well as gaining a better understand of other aspects of the utility industry.

Being mentored & working with a coach on personal development have been important parts of her career & supporting an organisation that helps women advance their career in the utility industry felt like the perfect fit for Julia.

“It is proven now that teams perform better the more diverse they are – and working on nurturing that diversity & helping women to take on their career in the utility sector is something I’m very passionate about. We are facing a loss of knowledge in the water industry and a high demand for new talent, and more and more women are becoming attracted to the water industry now, which I feel will help immensely in facing the upcoming challenges.” Julia is looking forward to being part of the community & work together with the team of WUN & hear everyone’s story.