Following the success of previous events like Mapping Your Career and Building Your Career in Utilities, we’re excited to announce that WUN’s Annual Careers Event is returning in October 2025!

This year’s theme continues our mission to support women in the utilities sector at every stage of their career – whether you’re navigating your first role, seeking your next move, or exploring how to lead with impact.

Kindly hosted by the Energy Networks Association (ENA).

Please share the booking link with with a more junior colleague or mentee to encourage them to attend

Expect:
• Inspirational speakers including key note speech from Charley Maher, Group Chief Executive Officer, South Staffordshire Plc
• Career development insights
• Real stories from women shaping the future of utilities
• Practical advice to help you take the next step
• Free professional headshot
• Opportunity to network with likeminded women and allies

🎯 Proudly supported by Microsoft and Computacenter

Panelists & Workshop Facilitators : 

• Charley Maher, Group Chief Executive Officer, South Staffordshire Plc
• Amanda Bridger -Group People Director, Anglian Water.
• Aimee Burnham, Global Service and Digital Experience Director, Computacenter.
• Juliet Summers, Director & Lead Coach, Inner Talent.
• Maria Blakley, Corporate Lead, Women on Boards
• Sarah Hopkins, WUN Director & Director , Pathways People Solutions.

– Please make us aware as soon as possible if you have any specific access requirements.

Bios:

Charley Maher, Group Chief Executive Officer, South Staffordshire Plc.

Charley was appointed South Staffordshire Plc’s Group Chief Executive Officer in 2023. Prior to joining, Charley worked for YTL UK, as Chief Commercial Officer of Wessex Water Group, and Managing Director at Pelican Business Services and water2business. Earlier in her career she was with NatWest and the RBS Group.

Charley is passionate that essential services and infrastructure should always deliver for customers, clients and our planet, and has over 20 years of experience, focused on driving business growth and delivering high standards of customer service and client delivery, engaging stakeholders in a variety of sectors. A passionate enabler of people, Charley has achieved success as a leader developing cultures and connections focused on people thriving, supporting communities and creating social value.

Amanda Bridger – Group People Director, Anglian Water.

Amanda joined Anglian Water in January 2021 after working for Bridge Partnership (a global leadership consultancy) as their Global Head of People and Organisation. Prior to this Amanda worked for BT Group and Openreach in several HR and change related roles including Head of leadership, learning and talent.

Since joining Anglian Water, Amanda led a change delivery team to support the effective delivery of several strategic change programmes and the cross-business transformation office.

Amanda then moved into the role of HR Operations Director before moving into the Group People Director role for Anglian Water in January 2024.

Amanda is a strategic and dynamic leader and qualified ICF coach with global experience in both HR and change and transformation roles across multiple industries and cultures. Amanda is passionate about values-based cultures, people development and strategic change and transformation.

Aimee Burnham, Global Service and Digital Experience Director, Computacenter.

Aimee Burnham is a seasoned digital transformation leader with extensive experience driving technology strategy and user experience at a global scale. She currently serves as Global Service and Digital Experience Director at Computacenter, where she leads initiatives to enhance digital service delivery and employee engagement worldwide.

Previously, Aimee held senior leadership roles at OVO Energy as Director of Colleague Technology and at Lloyds Banking Group, where she served as Head of Colleague Technology, Head of Business Development, and Head of Fast Start within the CIO division.

Aimee holds an MSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Birkbeck, an MA in Eighteenth Century Studies from the University of Warwick, and a BA (Hons) in History from the University of Exeter.

Juliet Summers -Director & Lead Coach, Inner Talent.

Juliet brings her corporate career in the retail and utility industries and insight in HR, talent management and leadership to enable individuals and organisations to succeed through professional coaching and leadership development facilitation. She has led talent departments, strategy and teams alongside coaching, mentoring and supporting the development, progression and career transition of many individuals. She is highly skilled in coaching across the talent pipeline, especially supporting women through their career transitions. An ICF ACC credentialled coach who specialises in transformational coaching across career, leadership, confidence and life. Clients have described Juliet as, ‘Insightful, supportive, inspirational, empathetic and positive.’ When she’s not coaching or facilitating workshops, you’ll find her raising two boys and running which is one of her other passions.

Maria Blakley, Corporate Lead, Women on Boards UK.

Maria Blakley has a deep specialism in advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and driving inclusive cultural change. With expertise in programmes, partnerships and community-building, Maria was responsible for the initial development of POWERful Women, the gender diversity initiative for the UK energy sector, founded in 2014. Maria worked with the top UK company CEOs and EDI Leads to monitor the sector, increase executive and non-executive gender diversity and create more inclusive workplaces. She also created a highly effective executive-level mentoring programme.

Passionate about helping underrepresented groups achieve their potential and a natural collaborator, Maria is an avid signposter to good practice and works with corporates to define ‘what works well’, currently contracted as Corporate Lead by WB Directors (home of the Women on Boards community).

Maria has worked on several contracts over 30 years for the Energy Institute, the professional body for the entire energy sector, working with industry and governments to set professional standards in areas such as energy management and safety. Maria set up a branch of the EI in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and won an award from the Council for her endeavour, on their behalf, overseas.

Maria studied British Cultural Studies as the first in her family to go to university, she is passionate about supporting women, in particular, in their careers, and became a qualified career coach in 2024.

Sarah Hopkins WUN Director & Director , Pathways People Solutions.

Sarah is an experienced senior HR professional with 25 years’ experience, operating at Executive level at Wales & West Utilities for 13 years. She has subsequently set up her own consulting company, Pathways People Solutions, supporting clients to evolve their people and culture strategy, create leadership and management programmes, and deliver senior level coaching.

Sarah has a passion for culture transformation and has launched The Culture Kit to help organisations to create and nurture workplace cultures by blending proven expertise in Human Resources, colleague engagement and brand development.

She has been on the board of WUN since 2023 and has helped to create the bespoke WUN Drive and Thrive development programmes for female line manages and senior leaders.

Sarah has a degree in Business Management, a Masters in HRM and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development. She is a qualified coach and is a Trustee Director of National Energy Action and Cardiff Rugby Community Foundation

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