Reflections from the Women's Energy Network Alliance Conference

The Women's Energy Network Alliance (WENA) conference took place on Tuesday, the 25^th of June on a rare sunny morning in Edinburgh. Three eager attendees from WeConnect Energy participated – Beatrice, Natalia and Holly.  The impressive programme meant that this event attracted an “encouragingly diverse group of professionals” as the attendees noted, for a day of discussion, debate, and the all-important networking opportunities.

For Natalia and Beatrice, this was their first time attending an event hosted by the Women’s Energy Network Alliance. Holly was particularly keen to attend, as she has been doing great work in this area and is an active supporter of advancing women’s participation and position within the energy industry. For instance, Holly recently launched a 'Spotlight on Women in STEM' e-magazine, where she has interviewed a range of high-powered females in the sector, gathering their experiences and more importantly, tips for future industry entrants. For those unfamiliar with what WENA do, the initiative aims to bring together the sectors, skills and talent needed to support the energy transition in a faster and smarter way.  

Inspiring Keynotes and Panels

The conference began with three keynote speeches that set the stage for a day of varied and interesting discussions. Ollie Folayan MBE, well-known for his work in both engineering and diversity, kicked off the event with a powerful address, followed by Claire Mack from Scottish Renewables, who emphasised the crucial role of renewable energy initiatives to advance the sector. The final keynote speaker Gillian Martin from The Scottish Parliament, brought a governmental perspective, highlighting policy and advocacy in the energy sector.

Following these inspiring speeches, attendees then engaged in two panel sessions. The first was "Female Trailblazers in Energy and Their Career Paths", Beatrice noted the key actionable points from this keynote being:

• Be ambitious and proactively seek out opportunities.

• Confidence is essential—build your self-esteem and speak up. You deserve to be in your position, and your voice needs to be heard.

• Networking is fundamental—surround yourself with people who support and value you and your career ambitions in both work and personal spheres. Find a mentor in the industry who values your ideas and helps you grow."

The second discussion was "Insights from Energy Leaders, Allies, and Diversity and Inclusion Experts." After the speech, Holly spoke to one of the panellists, Well Superintendent - Mike Smith. Mike is a proactive ally and regularly involved in promoting females in the industry. Holly knows Mike through work, having previously helped place people via WeConnect Energy in roles in Mike’s team within bp. Mike was all too happy to chat and shared that he learned too late that his gender gave him an unfair privilege, and with that, set out a commitment to learn more and went as far as setting up the Men as Allies Wells group in the North Sea along with other groups globally.

Key Takeaways from the Conference

The discussions and break out groups at the WENA conference highlighted several ongoing points for the energy sector. One of the most striking takeaways was the understanding that the energy sector will not achieve net-zero goals without accessing more diverse talent. As a recruitment and consulting firm, we have seen first-hand that the lack of female talent is definitely an issue. However, from our 15+ years of experience, we have also observed some positive signs of change.

Recognising that DEI is a journey, attendees were reminded of the importance of continually striving to improve and fully consider the various dimensions of diversity. In a similar vein, privilege and allyship were also key topics of discussion. Everyone holds some form of privilege and has a duty to educate themselves and support others in minority groups. Recognising and utilising one's privilege for the greater good is crucial for creating an inclusive environment.  

Natalia mentioned that one very interesting takeaway was that best practice meant treating DEI like any other business risk, with clear targets, training, data/reporting, objectives, and performance incentives/penalties.  

Challenging the 'right person for the job' rhetoric by redefining what 'right' means was another significant point stressed. An interesting view suggested that in many circumstances, 'right' should mean 'different,' opening doors for fresh talent and diverse perspectives. Holly noted that it was important to be more creative as to where you look for candidates and that more non-traditional channels should be explored. A particularly impactful quote from the day “empowering the majority (of women) by removing the blindfold” and keeping hiring avenues opened.

Another takeaway was that organisations must also ensure they apply 'potential vs. competence' recruitment criteria equally across all genders and groups.  Furthermore, the tone for DEI must be set at the top. True embedding of DEI requires it to be lived and breathed by executive and leadership teams, starting with the sponsorship of internal networks run by affected individuals. For those interested in what ‘great’ looks like regarding DEI, a shining example of a company doing this is bp, who have a mature and very extensive programme, championing a range of women and minorities supporting initiatives internally.