Zoe Yujnovich: The Remarkable Career of National Grid’s CEO

Zoe Yujnovich is an Australian-born business leader and engineer who became Chief Executive Officer of National Grid in November 2025. She has built an international career spanning mining, oil and gas, energy infrastructure and corporate governance, with senior leadership positions at Rio Tinto and Shell. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Unilever and has an Executive MBA from the University of Utah.

Her appointment at National Grid marked the latest stage of a career defined by international experience, operational leadership and large-scale transformation. Today, she is responsible for a major energy infrastructure group at a time when electricity networks are becoming increasingly important to economic growth and the transition towards cleaner energy.

Who Is Zoe Yujnovich?

Zoe Yujnovich is a senior international energy and resources executive. She currently leads National Grid, which operates major energy networks across the UK, the United States and Europe.

National Grid appointed her Chief Executive in November 2025, succeeding John Pettigrew. In her current position, she leads a business with around 33,000 colleagues and oversees an investment programme of approximately £70 billion through 2031.

Before joining National Grid, Yujnovich spent more than a decade at Shell. Her responsibilities at Shell eventually included global integrated gas and upstream operations, making her one of the company’s most senior executives.

Early Life and Background

Public sources provide relatively limited information about Yujnovich’s childhood and private upbringing. What is well documented is her Australian educational background and early interest in engineering.

She studied engineering at the University of Western Australia, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in 1995. Her technical education became an important foundation for a career that would later take her into senior management across several continents.

Yujnovich has also spoken about the importance of encouraging women and girls to consider STEM careers. Her own experience as one of relatively few women studying engineering helped shape her interest in supporting greater participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Education

University of Western Australia

Yujnovich completed a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours at the University of Western Australia in 1995. Her engineering background distinguished her from many traditional corporate executives and provided technical grounding for her subsequent career in natural resources and energy.

University of Utah

She later expanded her business education with an Executive MBA from the University of Utah, completed in 2004. The combination of engineering and business education has been particularly relevant to her career, allowing her to operate comfortably across technical, commercial and strategic areas.

In 2025, the University of Western Australia also recognised her achievements with an honorary doctorate.

Career Journey

Starting at Rio Tinto

Yujnovich began her professional career at Rio Tinto as an engineer. She gradually moved into increasingly senior management positions, gaining experience across international markets including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Canada.

One of her most significant Rio Tinto positions was President and Chief Executive of the Iron Ore Company of Canada. The role gave her substantial experience in operational leadership, industrial management and working with large organisations.

Moving to Shell

In 2014, Yujnovich joined Shell as an Executive Vice President in Canada. She subsequently became Shell’s Country Chair and Executive Vice President for Australia and New Zealand before moving into global leadership responsibilities.

Her career at Shell continued to develop rapidly. She later became Executive Vice President of Conventional Oil and Gas and was based in The Hague, where she managed global operations.

In October 2021, she joined Shell’s Executive Committee as Director of Integrated Gas and Upstream. She ultimately became responsible for a substantial part of Shell’s global energy portfolio.

Joining National Grid

Shell announced that Yujnovich would leave the company effective 31 March 2025 after more than a decade of service. Shell credited her with contributing to company strategy, improving performance and engaging with employees, communities and governments.

Just weeks later, National Grid announced her appointment as its next Chief Executive. She joined the National Grid Board as Chief Executive Designate on 1 September 2025 and formally became CEO on 17 November 2025.

Major Achievements

Yujnovich’s career contains several notable milestones.

First, she progressed from an engineering role at Rio Tinto to senior executive positions in two of the world’s largest resource and energy companies.

Second, her international career has involved leadership across Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States and the UK. This broad geographical experience is particularly valuable in industries that depend on complex infrastructure, regulation and relationships with governments and communities.

Third, becoming National Grid CEO placed her at the head of an organisation preparing to invest tens of billions of pounds in energy networks. National Grid’s latest reporting describes a strategy focused on expanding capacity, improving resilience and supporting future economic growth.

Why Is Zoe Yujnovich Popular?

Interest in Zoe Yujnovich has increased significantly since her appointment as National Grid CEO.

Her profile is unusual because it combines engineering expertise with extensive executive experience in mining and energy. She has also worked at major international businesses during periods of substantial transformation.

Her current role has added another reason for public interest. Energy infrastructure is central to debates around electricity demand, renewable energy, industrial development and the future of the energy system.

Yujnovich is therefore not simply leading a large company; she is operating in a sector undergoing major structural change.

Personal Life

Zoe Yujnovich Family

Yujnovich keeps much of her personal life away from the public spotlight. National Grid’s official biography describes her as a committed mum and wife, but it does not publicly provide detailed information about her spouse or children.

For that reason, claims circulating online about specific family members should be treated carefully unless they come from a reliable first-hand or official source.

Zoe Yujnovich Age

Zoe Yujnovich’s exact date of birth and age have not been reliably disclosed in the principal public sources used for this biography. Rather than publishing an estimated age based on photographs or unverified websites, it is more accurate to leave this information unconfirmed.

Her documented education timeline does, however, establish that she graduated from university in 1995 and completed her Executive MBA in 2004.

Zoe Yujnovich Net Worth

There is no reliable publicly confirmed figure for Zoe Yujnovich’s personal net worth.

As the CEO of a major listed energy infrastructure company and a former senior executive at Shell, she has held highly senior and potentially well-remunerated positions. However, executive salary, shareholding and corporate remuneration information should not automatically be presented as personal net worth.

Consequently, online estimates of her wealth should be regarded as speculative unless supported by documented financial disclosures.

Zoe Yujnovich Wikipedia

People searching for Zoe Yujnovich Wikipedia are generally looking for a concise biography covering her age, education, career and current role.

However, Wikipedia should not be treated as the definitive source for her professional information. National Grid, Shell, Unilever and the University of Western Australia provide stronger primary-source evidence for her current position, education and career history.

At present, the most dependable information identifies Yujnovich as National Grid’s Chief Executive and confirms her earlier senior positions at Rio Tinto and Shell.

Interesting Facts

She trained as an engineer

Yujnovich’s first degree was engineering, giving her a technical foundation before she moved into senior business leadership.

She has worked across several continents

Her career has taken her through Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom.

She sits on the Unilever board

Yujnovich became a Non-Executive Director of Unilever in March 2025. She serves on the company’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Corporate Responsibility Committee.

She has received an honorary doctorate

The University of Western Australia awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2025 in recognition of her professional achievements.

Future Plans or Current Work

As National Grid CEO, Yujnovich is focused on expanding and modernising energy networks. The company has outlined plans for at least £70 billion of investment over five years, reflecting the growing need for energy infrastructure and additional network capacity.

Her leadership is also taking place alongside rapidly increasing electricity demand. In July 2026, National Grid announced a $1.75 billion investment by National Grid Ventures in Joulent to support power and electrical infrastructure for large US customers, including demand associated with artificial intelligence and data centres. Yujnovich described the investment as part of a disciplined approach to long-duration infrastructure.

This suggests that her role will extend beyond traditional energy networks. Managing infrastructure investment, electricity demand, resilience and the changing energy mix are likely to remain central to her leadership.

Conclusion

Zoe Yujnovich has built an impressive international career from her beginnings as an Australian engineering graduate to becoming CEO of National Grid. Her journey through Rio Tinto and Shell gave her extensive experience in operational management, energy, natural resources and large-scale business transformation.

Her appointment to lead National Grid represents a significant new chapter. With billions of pounds of planned investment and growing pressure to expand and modernise energy networks, her engineering background and international executive experience are highly relevant to the challenges ahead.

While details such as Zoe Yujnovich’s age, family and net worth remain largely private or unconfirmed, her professional achievements are well documented. She stands out as a prominent female leader in the global energy industry and one of the most influential figures currently shaping the future of energy infrastructure in the UK and beyond.

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