Two South Staffs Water employees have been nominated for the Women in Utilities Awards.

Ella Shelley, Head of Production (pictured left), and Kara Sadler (pictured right), Head of Water Quality, have both been nominated for the High Vis Award, recognising women who deliver outstanding work in field operations and are inspirational role models for the next generation.

The Women in Utilities Award, created by the Womens Utilities Network, a community for women in utilities with over 8,300 members, and Utility Week, a leading media brand for the UK utilities industry, celebrates the achievements of women in the industry and shines a spotlight on gender diversity in the sector. 

Ella Shelley

In the space of nine months, Ella has played a critical role in the safety and the proactive management of our most critical risks across our production sites and teams.

Responsible for a team of 65 employees who manage the end-to-end process of abstraction, treatment and distribution of high-quality drinking water, safely to over 1.7 million customers in our two regions, Ella has passionately championed the importance of health and safety, working with her team to set new standards.

Ella has also actively supported our carbon reduction goals, taking an active leadership role in our inaugural Group Green Week, looking at chemical consumption, pump efficiency and other measures that could reduce our carbon emissions and drive us to net zero. 

Kara Sadler

As Head of Water Quality, Kara is accountable for ensuring we, as a business, are compliant with our water quality standards and that our treatment processes are effective and future proofed.

Kara joined South Staffs in 2023 after 11 years at Anglian Water, and in this time, has made a significant impact, introducing a water quality steering group to drive our regulator and customer commitments, and expanding water quality awareness and training with all our operational sites and field-based teams.

Kara has also been instrumental in securing over £30 million of water quality investment across our two regions over the next five years and is building new strategies and working groups to safeguard public health in the future.

Elena Karpathakis, Managing Director of South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water, said: "I am delighted that Ella and Kara have been recognised for their outstanding efforts with these nominations.

"Ella is a fantastic role model for our business and in a short space of time has demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities. Ella has embedded a culture where quality and safety come ahead of the quantity of supply and is actively working through ways we can be more efficient.

"Kara is an excellent role model for future female scientists, operational experts and leaders. Not only does she inspire those in her team and within the business, but Kara is an active ambassador for women across the sector, as demonstrated by her work with the Institute of Water and the Womens Utilities Network."

Ella commented: "Women celebrating women, raising them up and encouraging them to work and thrive in less diverse environments is a movement I am proud to be part of!"

Kara added: "I’m incredibly proud to be acknowledged alongside other inspiring leaders who are helping pave the way toward a more inclusive and diverse utilities sector."

See more about the Women in Utilities Awards