Meet Jemma Lester, a leader helping shape the future of energy and E.ON's first female Gas Technical Specialist

And for Jemma Lester, engineering wasn't always part of the plan.

Growing up, she enjoyed helping her dad fix cars, decorating and tackling practical jobs around the house, but her ambition was to become a teacher. After starting university, she quickly realised it wasn't the right path for her. "I missed feeling useful," Jemma explains.

After returning home and working as an assistant manager in a pub, Jemma discovered she enjoyed working with people and solving practical problems. Looking for new opportunities, she joined National Grid's emergency call centre before moving into a planning role.

It was there that she first discovered a passion for engineering.

"I would get frustrated seeing customers being let down because there was nobody available to carry out meter exchanges," she says. "So, I persuaded them to train me to change gas meters myself."

That decision would prove to be a defining moment in her career.

Building a career at E.ON

Jemma joined E.ON in 2010 as a Gas Technical Specialist and immediately noticed a culture that aligned with her own values:

What really stood out to me was the safety-first approach and the focus on putting customers at the heart of everything we do. That's always been what matters most to me.

As E.ON's first female Gas Technical Specialist, Jemma helped pave the way for others, training more than 20 technicians to carry out gas meter exchanges. Within two years, she had expanded her expertise to become a dual fuel engineer, qualified to work on both gas and electricity meters.

She relished the variety that came with the role, saying: "I loved meeting customers from all walks of life and having pride in my work. Every job I completed looked and performed better after I'd been there. I've always been a natural problem solver."

But Jemma's ambitions extended beyond technical delivery. "I always felt I wanted to be in the place where I could make the biggest difference."

In 2014, she moved into an auditing role, helping embed safe working practices and ensuring customers continued to receive the best possible service. A year later, she secured her first leadership position as a Field Team Leader, managing teams, supporting colleagues and helping maintain high standards of safety and performance.

Over the following years, she continued to develop her skills and experience, progressing into a Field Service Manager role in 2024, leading five managers and 104 technicians.

"That role was definitely where I was supposed to be at that point in my career," she says. "I was able to apply everything I'd learned throughout my career and help grow the business from a position where I could have the greatest impact."

Today, Jemma leads a team of 17-meter technicians and continues to draw on her engineering background to support both colleagues and customers. "I think I'm respected because I've done the job myself. I understand the challenges my team faces and try to lead from a place of fairness and understanding."

Investing in the future

Despite more than a decade of career progression, Jemma remains committed to learning. This year, she was accepted onto an apprenticeship programme to study for an HR qualification alongside her role. "I really want to be in the best position to look after my people and make the right decisions for the right reasons," she explains.

A large part of my role is people management, and I like to understand the 'why' behind decisions. This apprenticeship will give me more tools and knowledge to become a better leader.

The qualification also fulfils a personal ambition.

"I started university years ago but didn't finish my course. I've always wanted to gain a formal qualification and recently realised this programme would allow me to do that while continuing to work."

The value of diversity in engineering

Throughout her career, Jemma has often worked in male-dominated environments. She credits supportive colleagues, mentors and advocates with helping her grow professionally and personally; "Having people who shared my values, championed me when I wasn't in the room and gave me confidence when I needed it made a huge difference."

She also believes that greater diversity is helping drive innovation across the engineering sector.

"Engineering isn't a job just for men. It's for women too."

"Diversity brings different approaches, different ways of thinking and different ways of solving problems. Two people can look at the same challenge and come up with completely different solutions, and that's incredibly valuable."

As the energy industry continues to evolve, Jemma is proud to be playing her part in that transformation.

The engineering world is growing and changing rapidly. Having more diverse voices and perspectives in the industry is helping shape that change and being part of that is something I'm really proud of.

Advice for the next generation

For young women considering a career in engineering or the energy sector, Jemma has a simple message: "Go for it. Don't be scared off. Your mindset, your ideas and your way of thinking are needed."

Her own journey proves that careers don't always follow a straight line and that some of the most rewarding opportunities can come from taking a chance on something you never expected. For Jemma, that chance was engineering. Today, it's a career that has allowed her to make a difference for customers, support colleagues and help shape the future of energy.

As E.ON continues to support colleagues from all backgrounds to grow, learn and thrive, stories like Jemma's demonstrate the value of a diverse workforce in driving innovation, solving complex challenges and delivering the energy transition for customers and communities across the UK.