Wednesday 16^th July: The Nuclear Truth - Debunking Common Misconceptions

Julianne became Chief Executive Officer of UKNNL in April 2025, bringing over 25 years of nuclear sector experience to the role. 

After beginning her career as a Graduate Radiation Protection Advisor with British Nuclear Fuels Ltd, UKNNL's predecessor organisation, Julianne went on to hold strategic leadership positions at Nuvia, Atkins and PA Consulting before returning as our CEO. 

Julianne’s expertise lies in strategic implementation and operational excellence. During her career she has led and implemented transformational growth strategies, established strategic joint ventures between UK, European and international organisations and secured long term strategic frameworks with Government and commercial entities. As Global Head of Nuclear at PA Consulting, Julianne established and grew an innovative nuclear practice, working with clients across the entire nuclear fuel cycle from new build to decommissioning. 

Passionate about diversity and inclusion, Julianne has been a driving force for women in STEM. Her contributions to the nuclear sector were recognised with an Honorary Fellowship from the Nuclear Institute in 2023 and the National STEM Ambassador Award from Forward Ladies. 

Maria has over 20 years of experience at Costain, starting her career working for a design consultancy before progressing to her current role as Project Director. She is currently leading a large team on a defence project, where she oversees the delivery of a critical part of a major national infrastructure project on behalf of the client. With a distinguished career spanning both the Water and Nuclear sectors, although a relative newcomer to the nuclear industry since 2023, Maria brings an understanding of the safety and technical aspects of the nuclear industry. As a chartered civil engineer, Maria is well-equipped to address complex misconceptions surrounding nuclear power.

Maria’s career highlights include being awarded the Water Industry Women in Water 2020 and receiving a highly commended honour for ICE’s Shaping the World Award. These accolades reflect her leadership, commitment to innovation, and contributions to the industry. A strong role model and aspirational leader, Maria is passionate about educating others and challenging misconceptions, making her well-suited to help dispel myths about the nuclear industry and promote a clearer, more accurate understanding of its benefits and future.

• Deputy Director of Development, Communication and PR at WiN Ukraine
• Founder and CEO of a consulting and communications agency CommsTrue
• Business advisor in strategic communications, risk management, and sustainable development
• Member of the ESG Liga Expert Council of the Association of Environmental Professionals (PAEW)
• Ph.D. in economics
• ISO 31000 Provisional Risk Manager
• Diploma of Pre-MBA “Management and Leadership” Business School MIM
• Professional experience of more than 14 years, including 7 years in public relations of the national NPP operator and 8 years in strategic communications.

Rieko Takaki is a Freelance Nuclear Communicator working under the name Energy Communication Planning.

As well as delivering lectures on nuclear energy and radiation to students and the public in Japan, she has recently contributed to the IAEA's Technical Cooperation Programme in the Asia and the Pacific region, which focuses on Human Resource Development for students and young educators. She has also served as secretariate for the Japanese Voluntary Expert Team.

Based on this experience, she is now involved in the government's working groups on HRD.

After receiving a Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering, she worked as a nuclear engineer at an electric power company for eight years.

She has been an executive of WiN-Japan since 2016.

Sarah Forman is the Head of Strategy and Corporate Development at Urenco, where she works on shaping the global strategy for the business and on supporting the delivery of that strategy across Urenco’s global sites. Before joining Urenco, Sarah worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company in the US and UK, and helped build the UK operations for a technology company developing tools for more efficient, and sustainable public transport. Sarah earned her Master’s degree in Nuclear Energy from Cambridge University, and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Middle East studies at Brown University.

Suvojoy brings over three decades of experience spanning Europe, the Middle East, and India in the fields of energy transition, sustainability, and infrastructure consulting. He has led the development of business strategies across a range of areas including renewable energy, electric mobility, green hydrogen, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), natural gas, and biofuel solutions.

He has 10 years of experience in strategy development and investment planning for India’s largest energy company covering conventional sources, nuclear, renewables and trading.

Suvojoy’s work includes crafting net-zero transition blueprints and ESG strategies for several major industrial groups in Asia, with a strong focus on reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions, identifying circular economy opportunities, and implementing technology-driven interventions. He is also actively engaged with government bodies, collaborating across multiple ministries—such as power, coal, and renewable energy—to shape policy and strategic direction.

Before joining AECOM, Suvojoy led McKinsey & Company’s energy transition and public sector practices in India. He has also held senior roles at Accenture (Andersen Consulting) and Booz & Co., advising public and private sector clients on infrastructure and energy investments.

He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.