After more than two decades in IT and telecoms, Natalie Richardson is used to being one of the only women in the room. We caught up to chat about her role as UK Energy Market Sales & Account Manager for Westermo, and why the challenges facing the sector make this an exciting time to be in energy.

Natalie Richardson is UK Energy Market Sales & Account Manager for Westermo.

Q: A big part of your role is speaking with energy sector clients about cybersecurity. Has that always been an aspect of what you do?

A: The thing that’s been consistent in all my roles, ever since my first job in tech at the age of 19, is new business sales, but cybersecurity has come to the fore in the last few years. Before Westermo I was five years in cybersecurity, selling software to critical infrastructure.  Prior to that I did a number of years in storage and backup – managing the risk of unsecured data and making sure the data was protected. That’s how I got into cybersecurity: I was selling into oil & gas, Ministry of Defence and energy. The Stuxnet attack made cybersecurity a priority for a lot of companies.

Q: What are you seeing around cybersecurity? Are energy companies adequately protected?

A: A lot of them aren’t there yet, but that’s changing; if they’ve recently been attacked, then cybersecurity is uppermost in their minds. In the last few years there have been 200 attacks on energy companies. Things are moving very fast. In the UK there’s £8 billion in new government funding for offshore wind, there’s so much going on with upgrading the grid, and all of this means an increasing opportunity for threats. Organisations have to explore multiple layers of protection in order to keep their infrastructure and their data safe.  It’s so important to integrate cybersecurity into projects from the start. 

Q: What other challenges are facing energy customers?

A: In addition to cybersecurity challenges, they’re facing sustainability targets, and there’s also a massive skills gap – especially in cybersecurity, but also in battery technologies, telecoms and network engineering. But also, that creates huge opportunity for young people to come into the sector, both men and women. We need more women in the sector; that needs to happen. While I do see more women in senior leadership roles, I hardly ever meet women engineers. There are opportunities right across the sector for people who can fill those skills gaps I mentioned. And universities are making the training available for these roles; I would have loved to do a degree in cybersecurity.

Q: What would you say to women considering entering the sector who might be unsure about being the only woman in the room?

A: Just be brave and do it. I once interviewed for a role that I thought was UK-based, but at the interview I learned that they’d want me to manage the Middle East. I thought, ‘I’ll just do it.’ I ended up going to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar once a month, for ten days on my own, visiting projects in the desert. It was daunting at times – I’d look around the airport and I was the only woman. So, I would say, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. Also, sometimes women tend not to ask for things: if they’re not happy in a role they might move on rather than speak up. It’s important to speak up, to ask for what you want, and to go for opportunities when you spot them.

Q: For anyone new to Westermo, what’s one thing you’d like them to understand?

A: For customers in the energy sector, and in fact any sector, it’s time-consuming to invest in cybersecurity, because these solutions are new to them, and they have to trial and test. But with Westermo, you’re working with a company that’s been in the industry 50 years; we have the experience, the R&D, the products in the field, and the support and service that customers need. We’re not just selling hardware; we’re providing the support that helps customers stay secure.