The focus of the event is innovation in utilities and the discussion will be around the following areas:

Innovation business models

Wider sector innovation

Innovation mindset

Technological innovation

Customer led innovation

Pitching innovation

Inclusive innovation

Careers in innovation

Speakers include:

Keynote: Danielle Lara, Client Executive in the Utilities space, Microsoft

Shaunna Berendsen – Head of Innovation Engagement at Anglian Water, & Client Programme Director at UKWIR.

Yulia Lamonov, Product Lead at FYLD AI

Andrea Gysin, Net Zero & Innovation Director, WSP

Carly Perry, MD Spring Innovation

Tina Diamond, Azure Solutions Director for Manufacturing, Energy & Resources, Leading the Data Solutions Area for the UK, Microsoft.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions regarding this event.

Danielle Lara – Senior Account Executive for Energy & Utilities at Microsoft 

Over 20 years’ experience working across Energy, Utilities and Technology, helping enable organisations to use digital technologies to achieve industry focussed outcomes. It’s such a pivotal time for the industry to transform, with a real opportunity to deliver a positive impact at scale for our customers and the communities we work in.

The Renewable energy transition, sustainability and decarbonisation are at the heart of many my customer conversations. I’m passionate and fortunate that my role at Microsoft allows

Shaunna Berendsen – Head of Innovation Engagement at Anglian Water, & Client Programme Director at UKWIR.

Shauna’s key areas of focus at Anglian are:

• Developing and delivering innovation engagement strategy
• Driving and influencing internal innovation culture to meet business challenges,
• Sustaining current and future supplier engagement including developing platforms which enable true supply chain collaboration,
• Continuing the development of the Anglian Water Shop Window and WIN to continue the reputation of being one of the Leading Utilities of the Worl

Prior to working at Anglian Shaunna has also worked at UKWIR as Client Programme Director and Isle Utilities as Business & Innovation Marketing Manager.

Yulia Lamonov, Product Lead at FYLD AI

Throughout my career, I worked in several sectors: consumer goods, social care, and now utilities. However, the common denominator across the roles was the need to understand how people make their choices and what drives their behaviours in certain areas. And from that understanding, I looked for solutions to help people make safer/ healthier/ more time-efficient choices while supporting our business growth.

I’ve always had that innate curiosity about what motivates human behaviour at scale, which led me to have many first degrees in sociology. My second degree in business administration helps me ensure that there’s a viable business case behind what I build with the team.

At FYLD, I’m leading a cross-functional team that builds and iterates on an operational digital town for fieldworkers and managers, helping them make safer and more productive decisions on a day-to-day basis. I’m also heading a team of product analysts that supports FYLDers with data and insights for decision-making.

Andrea Gysin, Director Energy & Industry WSP

Andrea’s career spans over 20 years in the water industry, working across consultancy, start-ups and utility companies. In 2005 she launched a ‘dragons’ den’ style innovation programme to accelerate technology commercialisation in the water sector. Her start-up experience includes companies that focused on delivering renewable and circular economy solutions, thereby contributing directly to decarbonisation.

Immediately prior to joining WSP, Andrea was Head of Innovation Partnerships for Thames Water where she was accountable for development and delivery of the innovation portfolio, aligning it to key business challenges including leakage, pollutions, asset condition and climate change. Andrea is accountable for developing and implementing WSP’s net zero strategy for water, energy and industry sectors in the UK and has recently taken responsibility for the development of the water strategic advisory team.

Carly Perry, Managing Director, Spring 

In May 2022, Carly commenced her role as the first Managing Director of the UK water innovation centre of excellence, Spring. She brings 15 years of experience into her role having led water teams as a management consultant in Sia Partners and PA Consulting. Her experience spans across regulation, strategy and innovation with an extensive and broad background, working with water companies to deliver Price Review programmes, transform performance and work through the barriers of technology and innovation adoption. She has worked with Spring, in her consulting role, since July 2021 and has been the driving force behind the minimum viable product launched in December 2021.

Carly is highly experienced in cross sector collaborations, working with supply chain and academia to explore future business models for UKWIR and she has also led the UK water sector to design an Open Data Strategy. She brings a huge amount of passion for collaborative working and solving the sectors big challenges.

Tina Diamond Director of Data & AI, Microsoft UK Solutions 

Azure Director – Manu, Energy & Resources, Automotive, Mobility & Transport, Pharma Azure

Tina Diamond is passionate about all things data and AI, helping enterprise customers with their data strategy and cloud transformations. Focused on enabling technology for business value, she brings a pragmatic approach to thinking big, starting small, planning for industrialisation, to scale fast in the cloud. Her experience and expertise is grounded in 20+ years spanning from start ups to global SI / consulting, cloud and big data. Currently leading the Manufacturing, Energy, Resources, Automotive, Mobility, Transport & Pharma Sector of Data/AI and Core Specialists Team for Microsoft Azure.

Outside of work, she is one of the co-founders of Women in Dynamic Leadership, mentoring young ladies and men, and considers herself a life long learner, to bring her cumulative best to whatever she chooses to do.