July 14, 2026
Wave Utilities’ Jane Austin Named Leader of the Year at UKEXA 2026
Jane Austin, Director of People and Social Value at Wave Utilities, was named Leader of the Year at the UK Employee Experience Awards 2026, held at Park Plaza Riverbank, London, on 9 July. Wave also picked up silver for Best Employee Centric Company on the night.
Speaking to CXM, Austin traced the win back to a culture of continuous change. Wave launched as a start-up in 2017, and she was clear that nearly a decade in, the business still doesn’t consider itself finished. “It’s forever evolving, and we’re doing more and more for our employees every year,” she said.
Wellbeing has been a consistent thread. This year, Wave rebuilt its health, safety and wellbeing strategy, adding a fourth pillar, social wellbeing, alongside existing physical, mental and financial support. Austin framed the addition as a direct response to remote and hybrid working, describing it as a deliberate focus on human connection.
Looking ahead, she pointed to AI as the next test for that focus. As automation takes on more of the practical workload, she argued, empathy becomes more important, not less. It is a position that pushes back against the assumption that AI adoption and human-centred culture pull in opposite directions.
Watch the full interview
Want more from Jane? Hear her talk about building an award-winning culture from scratch at Wave on CXM’s EX Lore podcast.
