NESO, the independent public body responsible for managing and planning the nation's electricity and gas networks, appointed Butterick earlier this month as public affairs manager for England. The former public affairs and economics consultancy associate director reports to Jack Brereton, head of nations and regions engagement in the corporate affairs team, under Laura Lotinga, director of corporate affairs.
A former aide to Sir Keir Starmer, she worked on the PM’s Labour Party leadership campaign in 2020, as well as Tracy Brabin’s successful campaign to become West Yorkshire Mayor in the same year.
The new hire will draw on her political experience in her new role, along with time spent working in public affairs with WPI Strategy, and utilities and regulation before that as head of public affairs at Ofwat.
On her LinkedIn profile she shared that the new role means she will be “working in energy policy at a time when there are major questions ahead about how the UK plans, invests and delivers the infrastructure needed for growth and net zero. NESO will sit at the heart of that, shaping how the whole system works across regions and nations”.
Butterick told In.Comms: “My initial focus is on establishing NESO’s regional public affairs work – building strong relationships with MPs, mayors, and local leaders across England to support the delivery of a secure, affordable and net zero energy system.”
And she added that she is happy to be working once more inside an organisation in an area that really resonates with her: “After a spell in consultancy, I was keen to return to an in-house role where I can focus on long-term impact and contribute to the development of a new organisation at the heart of one of the UK’s most critical industries. It’s an exciting moment to join as NESO begins shaping how Great Britain plans and operates its future energy network. NESO’s mission and public purpose really resonated with me.”