#LeadingWithPurpose Spotlight: Chris Norbury, CEO of E.ON UK

Our #LeadingWithPurpose Spotlight interview series sees organisational leaders explain what leading with purpose means to them and how they strive to make their organisation a force for good in society.

In this episode, read how Chris Norbury, CEO of E.ON UK does so.

Chris, what inspires you personally to lead with purpose? 

I have a rather different take on 'purpose' than what you might typically hear. Whilst many organisations and leaders concentrate on having one unifying corporate purpose, what really inspires me is helping people find their own individual sense of purposeful work. At E.ON, E.ON Next and npower Business Solutions (our three brands in the UK) we have colleagues driven by different things – for example some are passionate about tackling climate crisis, others find meaning in helping vulnerable customers reduce their bills, and many are motivated by their own professional growth and success. That diversity of personal purpose creates a stronger, more dynamic organisation. My north star of creating ‘purposeful work’ both within E.ON and through the positive effect we can have on society as a whole, really defines a lot about my leadership. 

Can you share a story or moment that shaped your own leadership? 

At the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham we’re putting in a new sustainable energy system for the hospital - it's just one project that completely reinforced how I think about energy's role in society. Yes, we are there to help decarbonise one of the UK's largest hospitals, but what I saw there showed me how energy improvements can touch every aspect of peoples’ lives. I remember walking through the wards with one of the managers at hospital expecting a business chat. Instead they started opening and closing the windows, telling me how in previous summers, they'd struggled to keep certain wards cool enough for patient comfort. In winter, some of the older parts of the building were near impossible to heat evenly. Rather than talking CO2 or even about the cost savings they described how much more comfortable it was for both patients and staff. 'It might sound simple,' they told me, 'but when you're recovering from surgery or working a long shift, these things matter enormously.' 

But what really struck me was the ripple effect. The hospital's energy bills will drop - money that could be redirected straight back into patient care. We created new jobs during the construction phase. The facilities team developed new skills. Even the hospital's carbon footprint dropped. 

That's what it really reinforced for me - energy isn't just about keeping the lights on or hitting net zero targets. When done right, it's about creating better environments for people to heal in, work in, and live in. It's about freeing up resources for what really matters. It's about creating new opportunities. The QMC project is just one that proves that energy can and should be a force for positive change across society. That's what true leadership in our sector should be about. 

How did you find purpose in your work? 

My purpose comes from seeing how I can, amongst many others, help to enable people to achieve their goals and ambitions both professional and personal. What's really powerful is watching people grow into roles they never imagined for themselves. We've got loads of examples of our brilliant energy specialists becoming experienced and innovative managers, leading teams that help thousands of families cut their bills. We've had installers develop into technical experts who are now training the next generation at our Net Zero Academy. These aren't just career changes - they're stories of people finding their calling in making new energy work better for society. 

What's powerful about this approach is how personal growth and customer success go hand in hand. When we invest in our people - whether that's through apprenticeships (we’ve recently onboarded our 1,000th apprentice), technical training, or leadership development - they're better equipped to help our customers. And when they see the impact they're having on people's lives, it creates a virtuous circle of purpose and achievement. 

The energy transition is creating new opportunities every day. So while my own purpose comes from enabling these journeys, what really matters is that each person can write their own story of growth and impact. Sometimes that's about climbing the career ladder, sometimes it's about becoming brilliant at helping others, often it's both. But it's always about making energy work better for people and society. 

What are some of the things your organisation has taken to break down barriers to opportunity? 

We're focused on making sure opportunity in the energy sector is genuinely open to everyone. That means going beyond traditional recruitment paths and really challenging ourselves on what makes someone right for a role. We're also always looking hard at progression paths, making sure we're removing invisible barriers that might hold people back. That means offering flexible working that actually works for parents and carers, providing mentoring support for underrepresented groups, and ensuring our leadership development programmes actively nurture diverse talent. 

The energy sector is going through unprecedented change. We need different perspectives, different experiences, and different ways of thinking if we're going to succeed. That's why breaking down barriers to opportunity isn't just the right thing to do - it's essential for our future. 

Can you share a specific example of an initiative or project that made a significant impact? 

One of the most powerful things we've done is embrace our employee inclusion networks. These networks bring together colleagues from across our business to champion causes that matter to them personally. Whether it's our LGBTQ+ network, our disability network, or our menopause network, they've become real engines of change. Over 25% of colleagues are a member of at least one of our networks and they play a significant role in creating an inclusive workplace. What's brilliant about this approach is that it's not just senior leadership dictating the pace and direction of change - it's driven by our colleagues' voices and experiences. 

These networks have transformed how we think about inclusion and change at E.ON, and ensures we apply diverse perspectives throughout the colleague experience. They bring together people from different roles, levels, and backgrounds. You might have a customer service representative sharing ideas with a senior manager, or an apprentice bringing fresh perspective to a board member. That's incredibly powerful. It means change isn't just cascading down from above - it's bubbling up from within, shaped by the real experiences of our people 

Why is your organisation committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity? 

Because the energy transition is the biggest industrial revolution of our lifetime, and we can't afford to leave talent on the sidelines. When we talk about breaking down barriers, it's not just about doing the right thing - though that matters enormously - it's about ensuring we have the diversity of thinking, experiences and approaches we need to tackle the complex challenges ahead. Think about what we're trying to achieve. We're completely reimagining how Britain powers itself. We're developing new technologies and new ways of doing things. We're working with customers from every background and community across the country. To do this successfully, we need our workforce to reflect and understand the communities we serve. 

This isn't just about diversity in terms of protected characteristics - though that's crucial. It's about cognitive diversity too. We need people who think differently, who approach problems from different angles, who bring different life experiences to the table. Someone who's experienced fuel poverty firsthand might have insights that no amount of technical training can provide. Someone who's managed a community centre might understand better than anyone how to engage local communities in energy efficiency programmes. Breaking down barriers also means challenging our own assumptions about what makes someone 'right' for a role in energy. The skills we need are changing rapidly. Technical expertise matters, of course, but so do communication skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to help customers through change. When we remove artificial barriers and look at what people can actually bring to a role, we often find talent in unexpected places. 

The energy sector has historically been quite homogeneous in its makeup. But the challenges we face today - from tackling climate change to ensuring no one is left behind in the transition - require us to think and work differently. That's why breaking down barriers isn't just a nice-to-have, it's fundamental to our success and to ensuring the energy transition works for everyone in society.