According to a recent report by Ernst & Young (EY), the global energy and utilities sector has been under-performing for the past five years because of a lack of gender diversity in senior leadership teams which is holding back innovation, with just 4% of executive board members at the top 100 utilities companies being women.
This issue really should be on the agenda of every board meeting in the UK Utility Industry, and companies must be more proactive if these statistics are to change. The industry relies on being able to attract and retain a diverse talent pool to deliver fresh ideas, and modernisation, but is in fact missing 50% of talent because they are not attracting and hiring females.
Women within the Industry are proving the importance of Diversity. CEO and Founder of Good Energy, Juliet Davenport has created one of the energy industry’s most innovative companies, she has won several awards and has become an influential figure whose opinions are helping to shape government policy. Juliet is also founder and supporter of the ‘POWERful Women’ organisation- a new, professional initiative to showcase female leadership potential in the UK’s energy sector – a great initiative going forward.
Diverse teams really do provide the best outcomes for business and women’s roles within the energy sector have never been more critical.
