James Yu

WORK HISTORY

ABOUT JAMES YU

Pioneering Innovation in the Energy Industry Ever since joining the UK electricity transmission / distribution industry straight from university, I have dedicated myself to making the industry cleaner, safer and more sustainable. Initially gaining a strong technical grounding, more recently I have focused on higher profile, complex capital projects driving innovation in the industry whilst simultaneously delivering measurable commercial advantages. The driving force behind numerous flagship innovation projects for SP Energy Networks, I have worked closely with EC and UK regulators to obtain required approvals and consents – securing innovation funding in excess of £120M over a six-year period. This funding resulted in direct and positive impacts on the networks and beyond, with anticipated carbon savings of more than 1 million tons per annum. In this capacity, I have been instrumental in positioning SPEN as the leading company for innovation in the industry and am widely regarded as an expert in this field: Awarded an MBE for services to the Electricity Supply Industry and to Innovation Individual Winner of the Utilities Innovation Star Award (2016) Team Winner of the Utilities Smart Cities Award and the Best Utilities Award (2019) Leading through Collaboration An expert in building high-performing teams, that have ensured project delivery during RIIO-T1 and RIIO-ED1, my leadership approach is one that emphasises collaboration and knowledge sharing. My teams are always fully aware of their goals and objectives and are proactively engaged in the action planning process. Successes through collaboration include: Use of project outcomes to identify learning outcomes for the core business Obtained buy-in for change, including embedding new processes and ways of working Passionate Proponent of Higher Education Higher education has a profound impact on young people’s future and it is my mission to support and advance the study of engineering related subjects at this level. I am a Visiting Professor in Integrated Networks at the Royal Academy of Engineering and an IET mentor. Supervised 3 PhD Candidates in Electrical Power System, Power Electronic Structure Mentored over 200 international engineering students Published over 50 papers in international journals and conferences covering electricity markets, transmission network control, renewable generation and engineering education