CS Energy’s Acting Head of Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance Angela Watson has been awarded the 2025 2025 Governance Top 100 Award, a prestigious national award acknowledging governance professionals who demonstrate exceptional leadership and make a substantial business impact - and has been featured on the NASDAQ Tower in Times Square to recognise her achievement!
Angela was featured on the NASDAQ Tower in Time Square, New York, to recognise her win.
Angela and her team have focused on uplifting and embedding a more agile governance, risk and compliance-informed culture, that empowers leaders and teams to make informed, accountable decisions every day. Their work has included strengthening enterprise frameworks, simplifying process and developing practical tools and training that make governance easier to apply across business.
Together, they’re positioning CS Energy to proactively manage emerging risks, respond to regulatory changes and build a culture of good governance and risk management that drives better performance.
Highlighting the importance of governance professionals
The Governance Top 100 Award highlights the importance of governance professionals, with nominees including an elite field of professionals across a range of ASX-listed companies, not-for-profit groups, government and government-owned corporations, and private and unlisted public companies.
“Being named winner of the Governance Top 100 Award for 2025 is an incredible honour and a meaningful recognition of my leadership journey, capability, strategic impact, and the investment that CS Energy has made in me over the years,” Angela said.
“I began my career at CS Energy in 2012 when my family moved to Biloela. As luck would have it, CS Energy was recruiting for a Financial Supervisor.”
More than a decade later, her career has seen her move into governance as Company Secretary, and then into her current role in Risk and Compliance, helping shape how decisions are made across the business.
“I’ve also served on not-for-profit Boards - I think it’s important to use our professional skills to contribute to the community,” Angela said.
“My journey reflects just how diverse and rewarding a career built on governance capability can be.
“Each opportunity has helped me grow professionally and kept the work dynamic and rewarding – on top of that, the complexity of running an energy business that operates as a government-owned corporation with that blend of commercial and public responsibility keeps the work challenging and meaningful. I’ve never been bored.”
Angela's career at CS Energy started in 2012 at Callide Power Station; she visited the site recently with Risk & Resilience Senior Manager Andrew Broadbent.
Making governance accessible
For Angela, good governance is not red tape – it’s the foundation of confidence.
“I get it – people might think skipping a few steps will make things faster, but that’s when things can go a little off course. It’s like taking a shortcut only to hit a detour – the quick way usually ends up taking twice as long,” she said.
Through the uplift of CS Energy’s Risk, Compliance and Corporate Governance Framework, Angela and her team are making risk and governance more practical, accessible and human, with a focus on education and engagement to help teams at all levels understand why risk, compliance, and governance matters – not just what it requires.
“Clear guidance gives teams the confidence to take ownership and innovate safely. Good governance protects social licence to operate and creates value,” Angela said.
“It’s about building capability and confidence – when people understand the reason behind the rules, they stop feeling restricted and start feeling empowered.”
Outside work, Angela believes leadership is about contribution – showing up, giving back, and helping others. Naturally drawn to helping her community, she’s served on boards and committees, lectured at university, and been an active part of her local school P&C, sporting clubs, and ratepayers’ association.
Through it all, she’s focused on connection and creating spaces on where people feel supported – the same values that guide her leadership at work.
“Leadership is about personal connection,” Angela said. “Whether you’re in the boardroom or community hall, people want to feel part of something bigger than themselves. That’s what shapes how I lead.”
Angela said that being recognised with the Governance Top 100 Award also provides an opportunity to champion the governance cause, reminding people that policies and frameworks, ethical leadership, and strategic decision-making are critical to every organisation and to society.
On a personal level, Angela said that the award is a career-defining milestone that reflects years of dedication, resilience, and impact.
“To be recognised by peers, industry leaders and governance experts is deeply humbling,” she said.
“Most of all, I hope it inspires emerging professionals to see that governance is about shaping the future of responsible and sustainable business.
“This recognition is not only an individual achievement; it represents the time, effort and encouragement I have received from so many people throughout my career.”