07 Jun Women in the energy sector: Enabling progress at Cornwall Insight
“Today, the campaigning group POWERful Women* (PfW) will launch its 2021 statistics on gender diversity at the top of the UK energy sector (register here). Like many of you, I will watch with interest to see how the picture has evolved: last year it reported 13% of executive board directors in the UK energy sector are women, up from 6% in 2019.
I am proud to be on the Board of Cornwall Insight, but I didn’t have this as a career goal until relatively recently. We need more women and people from under-represented groups aspiring to get to the top, and make sure there is support, encouragement and role models.
Since 2016, I have been a member of Changing the Chemistry which has been working hard to increase diversity on all types of Boards: evidence shows that increasing board diversity improves the performance of organisations and thereby benefits the wider economy. Initially a Scottish peer support organisation, it has now extended to a London chapter and of course meets virtually. Its focus is diversity in all its form, not only gender. Neural diversity – the different ways we think – is an important element of this.
But on 19th May, the focus is on women’s representation on Boards, and how to support women during their career so they become ready for the executive suite and Board Room. PfW is one organisation that has been focussing on this since its establishment. I spoke to Maria Blakely at PfW to discuss what resources are available to Cornwall Insight.”
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