Three inspirational women from South West Water have been shortlisted for the prestigious Women in Utilities Awards 2026 in recognition of their work in wastewater services, communities and environmental education across the South West.
Jenny Eamer, Caitlin Crutchley and Sophie Moore are among those being recognised by Utility Week and the Women’s Utility Network (WUN).
Organised by Utility Week in partnership with WUN, the awards celebrate the achievements of women and allies across the UK utilities sector, recognising individuals making a positive impact through leadership, innovation and service.
From keeping essential wastewater services running and driving programmes that protect the environment to inspiring thousands of young people through education, each of these amazing women has played an important role in supporting customers, communities and the environment across the South West.
Find out more about the women behind the nominations and the work that earned them a place on this year’s shortlist.
Jenny Eamer - Leading frontline wastewater operations
For more than a decade, Jenny has been at the heart of wastewater operations at South West Water, leading teams responsible for keeping essential services running safely and efficiently across Exeter and the surrounding area.
As Wastewater Operations Manager, Jenny oversees managers and field teams working across sewage networks, pumping stations and treatment works, ensuring operations meet strict environmental standards while continuing to deliver for customers and communities.
Speaking about the award, Jenny said: “It’s an honour to be shortlisted for this award. Supporting our frontline teams and helping deliver essential services for our communities is something I’m hugely passionate about. I’m really proud to work alongside an amazing group of people who make a real difference every day.”
Caitlin Crutchley – Driving environmental improvement programmes
Since joining South West Water as a graduate in 2024, Caitlin has quickly taken on responsibility for one of the organisation’s most significant environmental programmes.
As Assistant Programme Manager, Caitlin leads delivery of the Pollution Incident Reduction Plan, covering around 40 initiatives across the company’s wastewater operations.
During her time at South West Water, Caitlin has had exposure to a wide range of projects across the business. Coming from a non-technical background, Caitlin said it’s been a great opportunity for her to learn and continuously develop her knowledge in new areas and said she’s ‘grateful’ for all the support she’s received since joining South West Water.
Caitlin said: “It’s such an honour to be recognised alongside so many inspiring women across the utilities sector. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far and excited to continue contributing to improvements that help protect the environment.”
Sophie Moore – Building an education programme from the ground up
When Sophie joined South West Water in 2021, there was no established education programme in place to educate young people about water.
Today, she delivers it at scale to young people across Devon and Cornwall.
Sophie created and grew South West Water’s Education and Community Outreach Programme which has reached more than 6,200 pupils in the last year alone, delivering 188 lessons across 128 schools on topics including climate change, plastic pollution and the journey of water.
Sophie is a finalist in the Community Outreach Award category at the awards for the programme, which helps young people to better understand wastewater, sustainable water use and the importance of protecting the environment.
Sophie said: "Building the education programme and seeing it grow year after year has been incredibly rewarding. A lot of hours go in behind the scenes to make sure the pupils receive the most up to date information and learning in a fun and interesting way.
“It’s amazing be nominated for something you are really passionate about and I am so excited for the awards.”
The winners of the Women in Utilities Awards will be announced on Friday, 3 July at a special ceremony at City Central at the HAC, London.