Sophia Goring's move into sustainability was triggered by a single networking conversation. While working in communications, she met Lindsay, a woman from the social mobility charity Career Ready — and that chance exchange changed everything. It led Business Stream to partner with Career Ready, sparked Goring's interest in social value, and ultimately put her in the role of Head of Sustainability at Business Stream.
Goring was not on a pre-planned path toward sustainability. The shift happened organically, through the kind of informal connection that networking makes possible. She met Lindsay while she was working in communications — not at a sustainability event, not through a formal recruitment process.
Lindsay worked for Career Ready, a social mobility charity. That conversation opened a door Goring had not been looking for: it prompted Business Stream to bring Career Ready in as a formal partner. The partnership, in turn, exposed Goring to social value in a direct and personal way — and that exposure became the catalyst for a complete pivot in her career direction.
She went on to lead Business Stream's sustainability team, eventually winning the One Mentoring Programme's Mentor of the Year award in 2024. The trajectory is a concrete illustration of what advocates of professional networking argue: the most consequential conversations are rarely the ones you plan for.
What makes Goring's story particularly telling is that the pivot was not driven by a job posting or a strategic career move. It was driven by curiosity about social value — a topic Career Ready brought into view through that initial meeting with Lindsay.
The sequence matters: conversation → partnership → personal interest → new role. Each step followed naturally from the one before it. Networking, in this case, did not just open a door — it built the corridor that led to it.
"Mentoring, for me, has given me a purpose. Seeing people build confidence, overcoming obstacles, they've set goals that they thought were impossible. Seeing them achieve those goals has been rewarding."
Karen Anderson — Executive Director, Women's Utilities Network.
Anderson has led the Women's Utilities Network for just over two years. The network was founded in 2018 by five women in the utilities sector who found themselves consistently the only women in the room. Anderson has grown the network's public presence significantly, including at the Future Utilities conference — where the annual networking event expanded from a handful of mentors and mentees two years ago to well over 100 women and allies today.
Sophia Goring advises going into networking with an open mind about potential value, without putting too much pressure on yourself — some of the most significant opportunities come from the most unexpected conversations.
Two years ago, the Women's Utilities Network event at Future Utilities had only half a dozen to a dozen mentors and a few mentees standing in the reception area. Today it draws well over 100 women and allies.
The Women's Utilities Network was formed in 2018 by five influential women in the utilities sector who realised they were often the only females in the room — and felt passionately that increasing gender diversity in utilities could make a real difference.
This answer comes from a real episode of The Future of Utilities Podcast. Hear the full conversation on Listenly.
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