POWERful Women initiative announces higher ‘40 by 30’ target for female representation in UK energy

In the 2022 annual report of the UK Energy Leaders’ Coalition (ELC), launched at PfW’s annual conference this week, the UK heads of 16 of the largest energy employers – between them representing nearly 75% of the UK energy workforce – have also published the progress they are making towards their own and industry targets on gender diversity and inclusion. The report from the ELC, which also includes the CEOs of Ofgem and the North Sea Transition Authority, shows that female representation is rising, but too slowly and remains particularly poor at executive director level.
 

Commenting on the new target, Katie Jackson, Chair of POWERful Women, said: ‘To provide the talent and skills needed for a successful energy transition to net zero, we need to be doing much better on female representation in the UK energy industry and it’s time to raise our ambitions. We’re pleased to announce our new target of at least 40% of middle management and leadership roles to be held by women by 2030, which we hope will drive faster progress at a critical time.’
 

She continued: ‘I am delighted that we have the backing of energy leaders in our ambitions. Despite a highly unstable and challenging year in the sector, they continue to put diversity and inclusion at the centre of their business plans. Like us, they recognise the importance of an industry that is truly representative of society.’
 

The ELC’s annual report reveals:

• Five out of the 16 companies have already achieved both industry-wide targets for women at board and executive director levels (40% by 2025 and 30% by 2030 respectively).
• The number of women in executive director roles, however, remains low – with nine companies having zero.
• Female representation in the leadership pipeline for the 16 companies is now at 32%, higher than for the UK industry as a whole and equivalent to the FTSE350.
• All companies are either on track or have achieved their own targets on gender diversity and inclusion.

A priority for the Coalition’s work in 2023 is addressing the barriers faced by women at middle management level. The report also includes case studies showcasing examples of the workplace policies and initiatives that make the most difference to women and diversity data.

Tom Glover, UK Country Chair at RWE, member of the ELC and speaker at PfW’s annual conference and report launch, commented: ‘As leaders we want to attract and retain the best people for the energy transition. That means we need a step change in the number of women at all levels, including leadership, which means putting our commitments on diversity into action and role modelling inclusion. The ELC will work together in the coming year to address the barriers women face, particularly at middle management in the UK energy sector, and to support higher ambitions towards gender balance across the industry.’

Monica Collings, CEO of So Energy, who joined the ELC in September, added: ‘Statistics continue to show that the representation of women at the top of the energy sector is disappointingly low, which means we are missing out on critical skills and talent. We also need an energy industry that reflects and can engage with its customers, particularly now.’

Chris O’Shea, CEO of Centrica, said: ‘It’s incredibly valuable that so many energy industry leaders meet up regularly for honest conversations about how we are doing on our diversity goals and how we can do better. There’s a genuine willingness to be transparent on our data and to learn from each other what actually makes a difference to women. I urge all leaders across the sector to read today’s annual report and commit to putting diversity at the heart of their approach.’