Utility Week Live, Europe’s only pan-utility exhibition, is back for 2026 – bigger and better than ever.

Utility Week Live will return to the NEC, Birmingham on 19-20 May 2026 (halls 17/18) with its biggest-ever content programme across seven new stages, featuring more than 175 expert speakers.

Over two days, the exhibition will bring 4,000+ energy and water professionals together for cross-sector collaboration and award-winning, free-to-attend content. Key challenges, including infrastructure delivery, digital rollout, and the discovery and implementation of innovation – and more – will be addressed, supported by 200+ exhibitors showcasing the market’s leading technologies and solutions, along with immersive show features.

UWL26 is your chance to connect, learn, and take away actionable insights to deliver better outcomes for your customers. Don’t miss it.

Free WUN Networking Event & Free WUN #IAR workshop – details further below.

Utility Week Keynote Stage- 19th May 12:45pm – Leading the Way: Role modelling for gender balance and real change – in partnership with WUN

Organisations play a critical role in actively shaping progress for women through visible role modelling and different approaches to achieving diversity. Join the Women Utilities Network (WUN) and senior leaders to hear short, honest reflections on the approaches their organisations have taken, from voluntary commitments to mandated targets and structural change.

• What are the biggest lessons learned from these approached?
• How have these approaches have affected women’s confidence, opportunity and sense of belonging
• How can leadership behaviours influence culture?
• How are different models of intervention are experienced by women?
• How can organisations create change that is credible and sustainable?

Chair
Hayley Monks, Co-Founder & Director – Womens Utilities Network (WUN) & MD Echo Managed Services.

Panel

• Jo Dow, Chief Executive – Business Stream
• Heidi Mottram, Chief Executive – Northumbrian Water
• Rebecca Sedler, Managing Director – National Grid Interconnectors

WUN Networking Event – 20th May 2pm- 3:30 pm – Reserve your ticket to this free event.

WUN will hosting a free networking event  on Wednesday 20th May 2pm – 3:30pm  This event will be held in a networking area Utility Week Live, NEC Birmingham. Limited places available & don’t forget you must also register for Utility Week Live – light refreshments will be available.

Join the WUN team at this informal  networking event for an opportunity to network & make great connections across the Utilities sector.

Reserve your free networking ticket now:

 WUN #IAR workshop – 20th May 10-11:30 pm Limited free places for this interactive in person workshop.

PLEASE NOTE IN ORDER TO SECURE YOUR PLACE AT THIS FREE 90 MINUTE WORKSHOP YOU INITIALLY NEED TO REGISTER FOR UTILITY WEEK LIVE

WUN will hosting an in person #IAmRemarkable workshop on Wednesday 20th May 10:00-11:30am. This event will be held in a workshop on the show floor at Utility Week Live, NEC Birmingham. Limited places available & don’t forget you must also register for Utility Week Live.

– further details regarding the #IAmRemarkable & how it works

#IAmRemarkable

Celebrate your success – #IAmRemarkable | Rmrkblty

Reserve your free #IAR place now !

Do also come & say hello to our friendly team of WUN advocates, ambassadors  & directors on the WUN stand on both the 19th & 20th May and find out :

• How you can join WUN as a free member & what you can benefit from.
• How your organisation can partner with WUN
• Keep up with all the WUN events & initiative’s.

Panelist bios:

Jo Dow, Chief Executive, Business Stream

Jo qualified as a chartered accountant while working in private practice. She joined the Finance team at Scottish and Southern Energy in 1998, before moving to join Scottish Water in 2002. In 2006, she was seconded to Business Stream to create the governance framework, funding structure and strategy for the new business in preparation for the retail market opening to competition.  Jo became Finance Director of Business Stream in 2006 and was appointed Chief Executive in October 2014.

During Jo’s time as CEO, she has led the successful delivery of the company’s ambitious growth strategy, helping cement Business Stream as one of the leading players in the UK water market. This has included two acquisitions of scale and securing a number of high profile, multi-million pound contracts. Jo has also held various external Board and senior level positions helping to drive market improvements for business customers, including sitting on the Strategic Panel which was set up to provide strategic direction to improve non-household customer outcomes, and being appointed as a Non-Executive Director for both the market operator (MOSL) in England and the Central Market Agency (CMA) in Scotland.

Jo is passionate about driving positive change for the environment and society as a whole. This belief led her to introduce the business’ purpose-led vision to make a positive difference to its customers, its people, the environment and local communities in 2019. To support others to achieve their responsible business goals, Jo co-chairs the Business in the Community (BiTC) Scotland Advisory Board, a business-led membership organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable business practices by inspiring members to build thriving communities in which they live and work and to make a positive difference to the environment.

Heidi Mottram CBE, NWG Chief Executive

Chief Executive Officer of the Northumbrian Water Group Limited and Northumbrian Water Limited since 2010, before the organisation’s acquisition by a consortium led by Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Limited in October 2011.

Heidi Mottram’s success at Northumbrian Water Group follows on from an excellent track record in the rail industry where her career began with British Rail in the mid-1980s. She progressed through a variety of senior leadership roles in British Rail and, following privatisation, in Great North Eastern Railway, Midland Mainline, Arriva Trains Northern, and Managing Director of Northern Rail, the largest train operator in the UK.

She was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list 2010 for services to the rail industry and a CBE in the Birthday Honours list 2018 for services to the water industry and business community.

Heidi is currently Co-Chair of the Net Zero North East England and Newcastle University Council, and sits as a member of the North East Environment, Coast and Rural Advisory Board, a strategic subcommittee of the North East Mayoral Combined Authority.

Under her leadership NWG achieved the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of Sustainable Development in 2014 and has been the only water company to be listed on the World’s Most Ethical companies list 14 times. Northumbrian Water has twice been named the UK’s Utility Company of the Year under Heidi’s leadership. The Company was also named as Water Company of the Year in 2018 and 2020 as well as being awarded the British Quality Foundation’s UK Excellence Award 2018, one of the highest accolades any business can achieve.

Rebecca Sedler Managing Director – Interconnectors, National Grid Ventures

Passionate about people, energy, markets and infrastructure.

Started my energy journey at E.ON, working in energy trading, portfolio strategy and subsequently in international roles on strategic business transformation projects.

Joined EDF in 2011 and went on to lead the B2B business, delivering notable growth in emerging market areas, such renewable PPAs.

In 2020, I became EDF’s UK Director of Policy and Strategy, representing Retail, Nuclear and Renewables.

Started with National Grid Interconnectors in 2022 and in early 2023 became Managing Director of the end-to-end business, setting the vision and delivering on asset operational performance, commercial returns and business growth.

I currently sit on the NESO Markets Council, I’m a board member of WindEurope, a Fellow of the Energy Institute and a Co-Founder of the Women’s Utility Network (WUN), which has over 10,000 members. I’m also an Ambassador for the Clean Energy Ministerial Equality Initiative.

Married with three children, I spend my free time cooking, travelling and in logistics management