As we come to the end of another busy year, I have been reflecting on all that the WUN has delivered in 2025 and the number of people that it has touched and supported.

It is very easy to focus on the big stuff, but it is probably some of the small things that have had the biggest impact on me, and which best capture the essence of WUN.

Looking back to the end of January, we were thrilled to win the ‘Support Network of the Year’ at the Great British Businesswomen Awards – but for two of us, it was the congratulatory messages instantly received from our daughters, both in their early careers, that brought the tears. The fact that they were following proceedings in real time, and that their mothers’ careers had made them proud, meant more than any award could possibly deliver.

Later in the year, as I was making a cup of coffee in the kitchen of one of our partners, I was blown away when one of the alumni of our first WUN Thrive Leadership development cohorts came up and told me that it had been the best and most impactful development of her career to date. The feedback from all WUN Thrive, Drive and Arrive cohorts so far has been similarly uplifting, all written by women for women. I encourage all members looking for development support, to investigate further.

On a smaller scale still – one of my mentees, a single mother with two children, had been struggling to move on in her career, not least due to the dreaded imposter syndrome. I was delighted and cheering from the rafters when she got the promotion she had worked so hard to achieve. As I write, we now have 468 mentees and 183 mentors (and always looking for more!). The stories resulting from successful mentoring partnerships are often the most uplifting of them all, and a great way for women to get direct help in developing their career paths.

These examples, are just mine to share, but multiply similar stories up across our Board, our Advocates, our Membership and our Partners and it is the small things that cumulatively are making the biggest difference to women’s careers in the sector. The support for the Network is overwhelming, because people can see and feel the positive impact that it is creating.

Our numbers, as a result, keep getting bigger and we are immensely proud of that. As I write we have hit 10,500 members; with the support of 85 partners, to whom we are incredibly grateful. We have delivered or attended over 60 events through the year, and there is now a library of 79 podcasts to select from and listen to on Spotify and other platforms.

I can’t speak of the big things without mentioning the 2025 Women in Utilities Awards, organised in conjunction with Utility Week. This year we had 600 people in the room and the buzz, excitement and overwhelming support for the finalists and winners could not fail to touch all those who were lucky enough to be present.

Each small action is important to the growth and impact of WUN and I would ask everyone reading this, to encourage their colleagues to get engaged with all that is on offer. Please share the joy of WUN with your colleagues and networks and encourage others to join us for 2026, where we are planning for more and looking forward to another very successful year with more stories to create and tell.

From all the team at WUN, we’d like to wish our members and partners a very Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.

Jo Butlin
WUN Co-Founder and Board Director