Powerlink’s General Manager of Community and Delivery Services Dana Boxall has been awarded the first ‘Women in Networks Award’.

Presented at Energy Networks Australia (ENA’s) annual Dinner + Awards last night, the award recognises the significant impact of women in the energy sector, highlighting innovative contributions and leadership.

Dana is a highly-regarded leader, overseeing Powerlink’s Landholder and Community Relations, Indigenous Partnerships, Property and Business Advisory functions.

Dana has led number of world-class initiatives driving best practice engagement and community outcomes, and fostering excellence both within Powerlink, and across the broader energy sector.

Specifically, sh developed the Transmission Easement Engagement Process and the SuperGrid Landholder Payment Framework, enhancing engagement with landholders, Traditional Owner groups, and communities.

ENA Chief Executive Officer Dom van den Berg said while women are still underrepresented in the energy sector, there are now a number of initiatives in place to recognise their contributions.

“It’s important to acknowledge the incredible impact women make to the energy sector, advancing progress towards net zero. This award is one way that we can put women’s achievements into the spotlight and work towards closing the gender gap.”

“Dana’s outstanding contribution to collaboration and community engagement stood out and we were impressed by her impact as a leader in the energy networks sector,” said van den Berg.

Award presenting partner was The Wellbeing Outfit and CEO Lawrence Patrick said: “We are proud to support this first ever Women in Networks leadership award.”

“Recognising the bright stars who are helping to lead us into a better future is so important. We are excited to join ENA in taking a moment to honour the women who are leading the way.”

“The energy sector in Australia has so many talented and pioneering women so it is a real honour to be able to sponsor this award to highlight them.”

“We know from the research how important recognition is to the success of any transformation. In our work with leaders across Australia we are always encouraging more meaningful recognition of excellence and future-focused leadership so we were excited to be able to sponsor this award that highlights the amazing work being done by women in the energy networks industry.”

ENA also wishes to acknowledge the finalists for this inaugural award:

• Courtney Nelson, Essential Energy: Courtney’s journey from powerline worker to Senior Training Specialist is testament to her dedication and passion for continuous learning and development. Her mentorship and leadership have been instrumental in paving the way for female apprentices at Essential Energy, an area where women have been historically underrepresented. This has led to a significant increase in female participation within the apprenticeship program, helping to lead the sector towards a sustainable energy transition.
• Ping Tan from Ausgrid: As Manager of Transmission Planning, Ping leads a team of 15 engineers developing the Ausgrid network. This includes opportunities to connect large renewable generators at a lower cost and in a shorter timeframe than alternative and traditional methods. These solutions have also looked to minimise community impact by taking advantage of Ausgrid’s existing infrastructure. Ping is also recognised as a role model for women in STEM and has also led the upskilling of staff required to realise connection onto the network.

The winners were announced at the Energy Networks Australia Annual Dinner along with the Industry Innovation Award, Consumer Engagement Award and the Individual Contribution Award.