Women Driving Change: Kristina Allison

Kristina Allison on leadership, lighting, and why diversity drives better decisions

As both Associate Environmental, Sustainability and Net Zero Lighting Capability Lead at WSP and the President of the Society of Light and Lighting, Kristina Allison brings a combination of technical expertise, leadership, and long term vision to the sustainable energy sector. With more than 18 years’ experience as a lighting designer and consultant, she has helped shape national guidance by authoring standards that assess the environmental impact of lighting, driven conversations around sustainable practice, and mentored emerging professionals. 

As part of the ETL’s Women Driving Change in The Energy Savings Industry series, we sat down with Kristina to explore her professional journey, her leadership style, and how she is helping to shape a more inclusive and sustainable future. You can watch the full interview video here.

Creating space to lead 

Kristina’s role at WSP goes beyond delivering lighting solutions. As a Chartered Engineer and team lead for environmental and net zero lighting, she is responsible for pushing forward technical innovation in tandem with broader environmental goals. But she is equally focused on creating the right conditions for others to grow. 

“I’m leading a team of younger engineers and designers,” she explains. “I’m trying to show them how to think for themselves, how to develop their own confidence and knowledge so they can grow into future leaders.” 

Kristina leads with a balance of technical precision and emotional intelligence. She describes her style as “quite collaborative and open,” noting that early in her career she felt pressure to adopt a more dominant, directive approach. 

“I thought that’s what leadership looked like. But it didn’t sit right with me. I’ve learned that empathy, flexibility and listening are just as important in engineering as technical ability.” 

Kristina Allison, Environmental, Sustainability and Net Zero Lighting Capability Lead at WSP / President of the Society of Light and Lighting (SLL)

Leading the way for the next generation 

From May 2025, Kristina takes up the role of President of the Society of Light and Lighting. She will focus on STEM and STEAM education, and on creating opportunities for school age pupils to explore lighting and lighting design. 

She sees this as a key moment to encourage a broader range of young people, especially girls, to consider careers in engineering. 

“We need to show that lighting isn’t just about wiring and fixtures. It’s about art, science, health, and sustainability. There’s room for a huge variety of skills, and that’s a message we need to get across earlier.” 

Kristina’s passion for outreach reflects her own experience of finding a career path that wasn’t clearly signposted. She didn’t grow up imagining herself as an engineer, but once she discovered lighting, she saw how it brought together creativity and problem solving in a meaningful way. Now, she wants to open that door for others. 

Advice for aspiring leaders 

Kristina’s advice to women starting out in the sector is to stay curious, seek out mentors and know that leadership doesn’t require a specific personality type. 

“You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room,” she says. “You just have to be willing to listen, learn and support others. People respect integrity and consistency.” 

She also stresses the importance of self-belief. For those navigating male dominated environments or trying to build confidence, her message is clear: 

“Trust your instincts. Back yourself. And if you don’t know the answer yet, ask the question anyway. That’s how you learn.” 

Shaping a more inclusive industry 

For Kristina, true progress in energy efficiency depends on building more inclusive teams and cultures. 

“Sustainability is about systems thinking. And you can’t think in systems if everyone has the same perspective.” 

Kristina also believes that having more women in the industry helps supports a stronger user-first approach – not because women are inherently better at it, but because their diverse experiences can bring new dimensions to design conversations. 

“When you have people from different backgrounds in the room, you get different questions, different priorities. That’s how better decisions get made.” 

Her career demonstrates that technical leadership and inclusive practice go hand in hand. Whether through developing new technical guidance, mentoring early career professionals or shaping national policy, Kristina is helping lead the way toward a more sustainable, equitable sector. 

Watch the full interview with Kristina Allison on Youtube and subscribe to our channel for more interviews in the Women Driving Change series.

Read our previous interview with Kristina on the four pillars of energy effective lighting. 

Read more interviews from the Women Driving Change series:

• Charlotte Lee of the Heat Pump Association (HPA)

• Tracy Southwell of Hobart​​

• Emma Brooks of Quintex

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If you know a woman making a meaningful impact and leading change in the energy efficiency sector, contact us at media@etl.energysecurity.gov.uk