Shaping a utilities sector where women can join, stay and thrive with Jo Butlin OBE

Shaping a utilities sector where women can join, stay and thrive with Jo Butlin OBE

Blog: Jo Butlin OBE, Co-Founder and Director of the Women’s Utilities Network (WUN)

In 2017 a group of five senior women in the utilities industry came together with a shared vision to improve the representation and experiences of women across the sector. That conversation sparked the beginnings of the Womens Utilities Network (WUN). Eight years on, WUN has grown into a thriving community with more than 10,500 members. We sat down with Jo Butlin OBE, WUN Co-Founder and Chair of TEC, to find out more about the inspiration behind the organisation, the impact it has made and where it is headed next.

 How did WUN come about?

We were a group of five women brought together by a senior recruiter to discuss the utilities industry. We all had first-hand experience of what it is like to be female in a broadly male dominated sector. However, it wasn’t until we looked at the statistics and appreciated how bad they were, that we realised we had an obligation to do something. From the outset, WUN was designed to be practical, supportive, and most importantly, free. Eight years on it has grown into an amazing resource with a real sense of tribe and community.

What is WUN’s purpose and vision?

Our vision is simple: for women to join the utilities sector, stay in it, and thrive. We’ve never been about quotas or targets — our focus is on genuine development and removing the systemic barriers that hold women back. That means inspiring confidence, sharing practical tools, and building networks people need to succeed.  At the heart of this is culture and behaviour. It is also important to say that WUN isn’t just for women – we value men’s support and the tools and technologies we provide are valuable to men too.

What has WUN learned about women’s experiences in the sector?

We have conducted two annual surveys with our members to date. The first survey created a hero headline – that one in three women were looking to leave the sector. That was something of a jaw-dropping moment and brought into sharp focus just how much needed to change. That survey also revealed how hard it was for some women to get their voice heard – whether that was being talked over in meetings or feeling uncomfortable engaging in everyday conversations.  This year’s survey dug into culture and leadership, which is so important because culture must come from the top. The solutions are far more complex than simply implementing equality policies or having DEI departments.

How have your own experiences in the sector helped inform your role at WUN?

During my time in the sector, I have seen positive change – but there is still a long way to go.  In my first role many years ago, I recall being called into my manager’s office. He was generally positive but said ‘you might want to think about getting shoulder pads and high heels.’ Thankfully, we have moved light years away from these kinds of attitudes.  However, when you look at the statistics, we are moving far too slowly.  In fact, if we carry on at the pace we are going it will take another 80 years to get to equity.

How does WUN’s Mentors Programme help women to succeed?

The Mentors Programme started as a bright idea and now we have 160 mentors and 456 mentees. The programme is for everybody – whatever stage of career you are and whatever your challenges are. I recently had a mentee who didn’t know how to move on, and we spent time working through this. Recently we finished our journey with my mentee taking me out to tea to celebrate her new job. She had absolutely smashed it. These experiences are powerful for mentors and mentees.

How can TEC members get involved with WUN?

TEC is a partner of WUN, so it would be fantastic to get more TEC members involved. The first thing is to go onto the WUN website and sign up as a member. This provides access to everything WUN has to offer – our events, our podcasts, our blogs, our mentors programme and our training offerings. A great starting point is to attend the ‘I am Remarkable’ online workshop. It is a global Google initiative that empowers women and underrepresented groups to speak openly about their accomplishments in the workplace and beyond.

What is next for WUN and what will success look like?

Our focus is on the cultural leadership piece. Our aim is to engage the ‘hard to reach’ and convince them that diversity drives better decisions, better business outcomes, and a more sustainable and happier workforce.

Success would be when we don’t need to talk about this anymore and when we have genuine equity in the workplace. I really hope that it will be in less than 80 years. Until then, success means bringing as many women as possible into the WUN community. It is genuinely open and inclusive—you don’t need to be in a senior role or business development to be involved. WUN is continually evolving, growing and gaining momentum – and there has never been a better time to get onboard.