It all starts with smart: how Claire Westwood and her team are helping drive net zero

Smart meters are revolutionising the very foundation of Britain’s energy infrastructure, giving people better control of their energy use and the ability to see exactly what they’re using and when. They’re a crucial step to a smarter, more accurate energy grid which allows suppliers to better, and more efficiently, balance the supply and demand of energy. And they’re the basis from which many customers go on to choose further sustainable solutions for their homes, like solar, heat pumps and EV chargers.

So, who better to catch up with than Claire Westwood, Head of Meter Operations at E.ON Next, to find out more about the work her team does, her career journey and her commitment to supporting net zero delivery – as well as playing a major part in driving the development of women across E.ON.

Can you please tell us a bit about your career journey so far?

I started my career in the hospitality industry, so my background isn’t energy. I worked at Birmingham Airport as ground staff and various hotel companies before joining E.ON. I managed back-office operations and eventually ran a large call centre for a hotel chain, but unfortunately, I was made redundant. I thought “what am I going to do now?” – that's when you find out operational management skills are really transferable.

Being made redundant turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I've now been at E.ON for 19 years and I’ve carried out lots of different roles in that time, including contact centre management, change management and as an operations manager for our field-based teams. 

I’ve held my current role, Head of Meter Operations, for about five years now. I got the job three months before we went into the first lockdown, so it was a bit of a challenge. I was thrown into a new role, managing everything remotely and responsible for furloughing two thirds of our workforce whilst keeping a third working. It was difficult but we managed it successfully and it made me more resilient and stronger than I was before. In fact, the resilience I gained during that time has been game changing for my career.

What do you think E.ON, and your team’s role, is in delivering and contributing to net zero?

E.ON is perfectly placed to help our customers understand the new energy world. We’re leading the energy transition and supporting our customers on the journey to net zero.

From my team’s perspective, it all starts with smart. You can't get the most out of a new energy solution, like solar panels or EV charging, without having a smart meter. That's where my team come in. They make sure customers who want to move into the new energy world have functioning smart meters to enable them to achieve their sustainability goals. And I’m proud to say we’re industry leading when it comes to smart meters – in 2024, we installed the highest percentage of smart meters towards our mandate compared to other suppliers and we also lead in ensuring that our meters continue to operate as smart once installed.

Have you received any feedback about the support your team offer our customers?

We always get great feedback from our customers about our technicians and their behaviour in customers’ homes. I think we often underestimate the real value our technicians bring to our customers day in and day out. They face some extraordinary challenges because no two homes are the same and no two customers are the same. They can face unsafe situations, and they never know what they're walking into. Yet they help our customers every day with a smile on their faces.

Our technicians often undertake safeguarding activities for our customers. A week doesn’t go by without hearing a story where a technician has dealt with somebody who's vulnerable and supported them. I’ve had technicians go out and get shopping for people because they've seen that somebody was really struggling. They’re great ambassadors for E.ON and I’m really proud of them as a team and the things that they do for our customers.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

The variety and flexibility that I have. I can be hands on when I need to, and no two days are the same. For example, I can be on a call with Ofgem or DESNZ [the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero] one day and working through a performance problem with my team the next.

But what I enjoy most is getting out and spending time with the field teams, talking to them and understanding what’s going on. The ability to get out and meet lots of different people is one of the best things about my role. And they’re not people I’m sat in an office with day in and day out; every time I go out it’s somebody new, somebody different.

Are there any barriers or challenges you’ve had to overcome in your career?

One of the biggest barriers I’ve faced has been building trust and understanding with my team that while I don’t come from a technical background, I do get it and understand their day-to-day successes and issues.

Doing a real variety of roles has given me the experience and knowledge to truly understand what my team is doing. I’ve done some of their roles so I can go into the detail when I need to. It also puts me in a wonderful position to empower my team to work independently.

How have you found working in a traditionally male dominated area?

As a woman in a leadership position, I’m a minority in my team which has been a big learning experience for me. All of my direct reports are male, and a lot of our technicians are male. Having a woman’s perspective in a traditionally male dominated area brings a diverse thought process which is only a good thing. As women, we lead and think differently to our male colleagues.

I think this has helped encourage more women to join the team. There are now more women in field team manager and regional manager roles and we’re also starting to see more women technicians too. It’s still not where I’d like it to be but we’re starting to shift and improve the balance, which is a positive.

Importantly, there’s a real customer benefit to improving our gender balance. We have some customers who need or want a woman to go into their home, for religious reasons for example, and we can now meet this need.

You're one of the main ambassadors for E.ON’s Women in Leadership programme, how do you think programmes like this help champion women at E.ON?

I’m really proud to have been involved in Women in Leadership since it started about four years ago. We’re onto our fifth cohort now and it’s so positive to see the difference it makes. It’s amazing to see the moment the penny drops when everyone sitting in that room realises “oh it’s not just me, everybody else sat in this room feels exactly the same”.

Over the course of six months, the women go through a learning programme about why Women in Leadership is so important for both gender diversity and commercially for E.ON. They learn about their strengths, how to pitch their brand story and spend time career planning amongst other topics. But the biggest benefit Women in Leadership delivers is the ability to network in a safe space with a group of other women. And I’m proud to say it’s been so successful: 50% of our cohorts have secured new roles after completing the programme with 30% being promoted.

But it doesn’t stop there. We have a lot of people who help support and deliver this programme and we focus on paying it forward so passing on the development that you’ve had to somebody else which I think is the lasting legacy of Women in Leadership. Our colleagues are dedicating their time to the mentoring and development of other women, so we all succeed together.

What advice would you give to someone who's considering a similar career path to your own?

I’m a firm believer in gaining experience across a number of roles. If you’re ever considering a sideways move, then do it. It’s what I did: I went from operations to a business change role and back to operations where I learnt a huge number of skills that are completely transferable. I'm somebody that firmly believes in change and continual improvement and I gained the skills needed to do that from working in the change team.

I think it's fundamental that people move around and get lots of transferable skills. I'm not technical, I haven't come from a technician background, but I do have the ability to understand and know what my team do. So, my advice would be confidently stand behind the skills you do have and go for it.

To find out more about smart meters and other sustainable solutions available for your home, visit eonnnext.com.

And to find out more about how E.ON embraces and champions diversity and inclusion, read our latest inclusion report.