Speakers

Laura is a Chartered Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in energy engineering, innovation, and manufacturing systems. A specialist in energy systems flexibility, she works across power networks, generators, and major electricity users to accelerate the transition to clean, flexible power. She joined Northern Powergrid four years ago to develop its flexibility services processes and systems, contributing to several ENA Open Networks Technical Working Groups, including Flexibility Products (which she co‑chaired), Primacy, and Common Evaluation Methods. She now works in System Forecasting, leading the identification and assessment of flexibility opportunities and delivering technical studies that shape future network needs. Her teams’ recent achievements include deploying machine‑learning‑enhanced operational forecasting in 2025 to enable Scheduled Availability Operational Utilisation products. This is an important step in unlocking BESS participation in distribution flexibility markets. In 2026, she and colleagues in Commercial Flexibility are piloting the use of flexibility services to support risk management during planned outages across the Northern Powergrid network. Alongside her industry work, Laura continues to support the energy and electrical engineering disciplines across North East universities. She serves on industrial advisory boards at Newcastle and Northumbria Universities and was recently appointed to the Durham Energy Institute Advisory Board. She is also an advocate for inclusion and co‑ordinates the Tyne and Tees Cluster of the Women’s Engineering Society.