About Monika
Monika Murugesan is the founder of APEX Specialist, a fractional executive advisory firm serving energy and climate tech companies. With over 20 years of leadership experience across SEL, Koch, and Schneider Electric, she is a board advisor, university lecturer, and a passionate advocate for inclusive, purpose-driven leadership in the power systems industry.
When I began my career more than two decades ago as an engineer in the power systems industry, leadership often looked like one thing: top-down, rigid, and, overwhelmingly male. But from the control rooms to corporate boardrooms, the energy landscape has shifted. And so has leadership. Today, purpose-driven leadership rooted in trust, service, and impact isn’t just a nice-to-have thing, it’s essential.
I’ve spent my career at the intersection of systems and people, from engineering roles at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), to executive leadership at Koch and Schneider Electric, to now advising energy and climate tech companies through my boutique firm, APEX. My north star was never about climbing the ladder, it’s always been about building bridges: between vision and execution, innovation and impact, and ultimately, people and purpose.
Purpose-driven leadership is not soft. It’s disciplined, accountable, and deeply human. It pushes for impact and results, but it does so with a deep commitment to trust and equity.
My role isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to ask the right questions, create psychological safety, and build execution confidence. Purpose-driven leadership is not soft. It’s disciplined, accountable, and deeply human. It pushes for impact and results, but it does so with a deep commitment to trust and equity.
Over the years, I’ve helped scale global product portfolios, led post-M&A integrations, and guided clients through strategy pivots that unlocked double-digit growth. But what’s mattered most is how those efforts built enduring trust.
Leadership Is Not a Title, It’s an Act of Service
When I reflect on the leaders who shaped me, their impact rarely comes from authority. It came from showing up, with clarity, courage, and care, especially when no one else did. That’s the kind of leader I’ve aspired to be.
At SEL, I learned the power of operational rigor and the quiet strength of humility. At Schneider Electric, I saw how global scale and complex infrastructure can still be human-centered, when product strategy is aligned with customer outcomes and climate goals.
At APEX today, I walk alongside founders and CEOs navigating some of the most exciting, and uncertain, inflection points in energy and infrastructure.
From Safety to Sustainability, Values Are the Real Differentiator
In the energy sector, we often talk about reliability, resilience, and safety, as if they’re technical specs. But they’re human values, too. They show up in how we mentor our teams, design systems, and make hard calls when timelines or ethics are under pressure.
Throughout my career, I’ve led multimillion-dollar strategy shifts, sunset plans for legacy technologies, and advised on M&A diligence for infrastructure investments. But the moments I’m most proud of are when I coached a high-potential team member into their first leadership role or helped a founder reframe a stalled product roadmap into a mission-aligned scale strategy.
Purpose isn’t a quarterly OKR. It’s what inspires people to stay, grow, and bring their best selves to work every day.
We Need More Voices, and More Versions of Leadership
One of the most exciting changes I’ve seen in the power systems industry is the slow but steady diversification of voices at the table. Women are no longer being asked to “fit in,” we’re being invited to reshape what leadership looks like.
One of the most exciting changes I’ve seen in the power systems industry is the slow but steady diversification of voices at the table.
But we need to go further. Representation isn’t just about optics; it’s about better outcomes. Research consistently shows that diverse leadership teams drive better innovation, risk management, and decision-making. In the energy sector, where stakes are high and transformation is constant, we can’t afford to leave talent on the sidelines.
That’s why I invest time in teaching graduate students, mentoring emerging leaders, and serving on boards. Whether I’m teaching in university classrooms, advising founders in transition, or contributing to strategic boardrooms, I see each opportunity as a chance to influence the broader systems that shape our industry’s future. Structural change doesn’t happen by accident; it happens when we lift as we lead, when we prove that empathy and excellence are not mutually exclusive. They can co-exist.
What’s Next: Leading Through Inflection Points
The energy transition is here. It’s messy, complex, and urgent. Whether it’s decarbonizing data centers, scaling battery storage for remote communities, or integrating AI into grid operations, the work ahead demands leaders who can hold both nuance and conviction.
That’s the kind of leadership I want to model, and multiply. The kind that invites stakeholders to the table, honors legacy systems while innovating boldly, and always puts people and planet at the center of the solution.
As more women take the helm in power systems, we’re not just changing the optics. We’re changing the outcomes. We’re showing that values-aligned, purpose-driven leadership isn’t just good for morale, it’s good for business, communities, and the planet.
Closing Thought
I never set out to “be a woman in power systems leadership.” I set out to do good work, to solve hard problems, and to make things better. That’s what leadership is.
And the more we define it by impact, not ego, not title, the more powerful our industry will become. The future of energy will be shaped by those willing to lead with clarity and conviction, and those who know that purpose is the most powerful current we have, capable of transforming not just industries, but lives.
This article was originally published in the September 2025 issue of the Women in Power Systems magazine, which you can access here.
