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Every year we report on gender diversity at the top of the UK energy industry.
In partnership with PwC UK we gather and publish statistics on the number of women in board roles (exec and non-exec) and in the executive pipeline in the top c.80 energy companies, focussing on the most significant employers in the UK energy industry. This reveals progress towards our target of 30% of executive director roles to be held by women by 2030.
Below we are pleased to present our 2022 Company Board Statistics:
Board seats across the UK energy sector are held by women
27%
Top UK companies have no women in executive director positions
75%
Executive director roles across the UK energy sector held by women
15%
%
%
Gender diversity at the Top of the UK Energy industry 2022
As the new Chair of POWERful Women I am thrilled to be unveiling this year’s statistics and looking forward to seeing how many women sit at the energy sector’s top tables in 2022 and what challenges we still face. Reporting the data is an important part of our campaigning work to hold companies to account and and support them in making tangible progress.”
Monica Collings
Chair, POWERful Women
I’m passionate about supporting and developing women in the energy sector and delighted to be speaking at this year’s POWERful Women State of the Nation event where we will reflect on the progress made across boards in 2021and where further support is needed to tackle the numerous challenges the sector is facing.”
Elisabeth Hunt
Partner, PwC UKEvery year we report on gender diversity in the UK energy industry.
In 2023 we have once again worked with PwC UK to gather and publish statistics on the number of women in board roles (exec and non-exec), in leadership and in middle management roles within the top 80 energy companies in the UK, focussing on the most significant employers. This shows how much progress is being made towards the 40% target for female representation.
Below we present our 2023 Company Board Statistics and further down and in our summary report (link below), we also set out this year’s data on women in leadership and middle management:
All board members across the UK energy sector are women in 2023
29%
Top UK energy companies have no women on the board
21%
Executive board seats in the UK energy sector held by women
16%
Women in middle management
31%
Women in leadership
31%
Women on boards
In 2023, 29% of board seats in the UK energy sector are held by women. And of these, women are in just 16% of executive board director roles. There are still 17 companies (21% of the top 80) with no women on the board.
In 2023, 22 energy companies (28% of the top 80) have already met the FTSE Women Leaders Review target of 40% women on boards by 2025. However, the energy sector as a whole lags behind the FTSE 350, which met its 40% target last year, three years early.
At this critical time when the energy system is changing, companies need to change too. The industry needs much better diversity so that it has the innovation and leadership for a successful energy transition and is much more representative of the consumers it serves.”
Monica Collings
Chair, POWERful Women
With an increasingly urgent need to develop and cultivate the skills needed to drive energy transition, diversity in our workforce has a critical role to play in ensuring we meet our net zero ambitions. I’m delighted to be chairing the panel discussion at this year’s POWERful Women Annual State of the Nation event and am looking forward to a lively and insightful discussion.”
Elisabeth Hunt
Partner, PwC UKIn 2024, POWERful Women’s 10th anniversary year, we have collaborated with Bain & Company to gather and publish statistics on the number of women in board (executive and non-executive), leadership and middle management roles within the top 80 energy companies in the UK, focussing on the most significant employers.
This shows how much progress the sector and individual companies are making towards our 40% target for female representation, and beyond to gender parity, and provides positive recommendations for action.
All board members across the UK energy sector are women in 2024
29%
Executive directors on UK energy company boards are women in 2024
16%
UK energy companies have no women on the board in 2024
15%
Women in leadership
34%
Women in middle management
32%
Progress over time
2024 vs 2023 average representation of women in board, leadership and middle management
This year’s data paints a disappointing picture of how few women there still are in key decision-making roles on the boards of the UK’s energy sector, with progress stalling in the last 12 months. We do see a welcome rise in the number of women represented in the leadership pipeline and the sector is on track to meet POWERful Women’s target of 40% of these roles by 2030. But more needs to be done to improve female representation, particularly among the 20% of energy companies who, shockingly, have no women on their boards at all.
As we mark our 10th anniversary, POWERful Women can celebrate the progress that’s been made since 2014, when women occupied just 9% of all energy board seats and 5% of the executive director roles. Our analysis shows that it’s possible to achieve gender parity, with leaders already paving the way.”
Katie Jackson
Chair, POWERful Women
Though there is much to celebrate in terms of gender diversity efforts in the UK energy sector, the statistics show that we are clearly not moving fast enough – and need to find a way to accelerate progress.
At Bain, our research and client work suggests that each company needs an actionable blueprint on DEI, which includes a bold ambition with measurable targets and sustained leadership commitment, alongside investment in critical enablers such as governance and resourcing, technology and data. Perhaps most importantly though, companies need to go beyond representation alone and truly focus on creating an inclusive organisation, as inclusion is one of the most powerful levers for both employee experience and business performance”.
Olga Muscat
Partner at Bain & Company and head of the firm’s UK Utilities PracticeIn 2025, we have collaborated once again with Bain & Company to gather and publish statistics on the number of women in board (executive and non-executive), leadership and middle management roles within the top 100 energy companies in the UK, focussing on the most significant employers in today's industry.
Our Annual State of the Nation 2025 report reveals the gaps to be filled to reach our target for women to be in at least 40% of leadership and middle management roles in UK energy by 2030, and provides positive recommendations for action.
All board members across the UK energy sector are women in 2025
30%
Executive directors on UK energy company boards are women in 2025
16%
UK energy companies have no women on the board in 2025
15%
Women in leadership
30%
Women in middle management
34%
Progress over time
To achieve net zero, it’s essential to attract fresh talent and cultivate new green skills, and this is a powerful opportunity to build an industry that truly reflects the diverse communities and customers it serves. And it’s not just about attraction but retaining talented women within a supportive workplace culture.
With just five years left to achieve our 40% representation target, we must be bold in our ambition and intensify our efforts. By showcasing outstanding examples of good practice from companies that have already achieved gender balance, we aim to spark a transformative acceleration of progress across the industry. Now is the time to step up and drive meaningful change.”
Katie Jackson
Chair, POWERful Women
We need to be tapping into, and developing, all pools of talent to meet our net zero ambitions and to overcome the UK’s green skills gap. POWERful Women is playing an important role in holding up a mirror to the industry on how effective it is in delivering on those vital objectives. This year’s statistics are a useful call to action given the slowdown in progress and the gaps that are still very evident.”
Olga Muscat
Partner at Bain & Company and head of the firm’s UK Utilities Practice
We need the brightest and the best minds from every section of society to help us make the energy transition a success.”
Watch the video
Minister for Industry Sarah Jones MP
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero & Department for Business and Trade, responds to our 2025 statistics, confirms her commitment to improving diversity in the energy sector and outlines actions the government is already taking to drive progress.
All board members across the UK energy sector are women in 2025
30%
Executive directors on UK energy company boards are women in 2025
16%
UK energy companies have no women on the board in 2025
15%
Women in leadership
30%
Women in middle management
34%
All board members across the UK energy sector are women in 2024
29%
Executive directors on UK energy company boards are women in 2024
16%
UK energy companies have no women on the board in 2024
15%
Women in leadership
34%
Women in middle management
32%
All board members across the UK energy sector are women in 2023
29%
Top UK energy companies have no women on the board
21%
Executive board seats in the UK energy sector held by women
16%
Women in middle management
31%
Women in leadership
31%
Board seats across the UK energy sector are held by women
27%
Top UK companies have no women in executive director positions
75%
Executive director roles across the UK energy sector held by women
15%
%
%
In 2026, we have collaborated once again with Bain & Company to gather and publish statistics on the number of women in board (executive and non-executive), leadership and middle management roles within the top 100 energy companies in the UK, focussing on the most significant employers in today's industry.
Our Annual State of the Nation 2026 report reveals the gaps to be filled to reach our target for women to be in at least 40% of leadership and middle management roles in UK energy by 2030, and provides positive recommendations for action.
Board
31%
24 boards removed at least one woman this year (vs 4 last year)
Leadership
36%
14 companies hit the 40% target - nearly double last year's 8. The brightest spot in the dataset.
Middle management
34%
Only 5 of 33 reporting companies hit 40% - one fewer than 2025. The pipeline for 2030's boards has stalled.
Progress over time
“At first glance, this year’s data may look stable. But beneath that flat headline is a story that should concern every leader in the energy sector.
“We are seeing real progress in some areas, particularly in leadership roles. But this is not translating into change at board level - and in too many cases, progress is reversing.
“This is a wake-up call. With four years to go to our 2030 target, the sector must act now to remove the barriers that prevent women from progressing into the most senior roles and to build a stronger, more inclusive pipeline for the future.”
Monica Collings OBE
Chair of POWERful Women
“Across the Energy Leaders’ Coalition, we know that progress comes when leadership is visible, deliberate and sustained.
“This report is a reminder that diversity does not improve through aspiration alone. It improves when companies track it, own it and act on it.”
Miya Paolucci
POWERful Women Leaders’ Coalition Chair and ENGIE UK CEO
“Delivering our clean energy mission requires talent, innovation and leadership from across Britain’s energy sector - and a diverse and inclusive workforce is the key.
“It is vital that the sector act now to drive forward progress on gender representation, as we pave the way for the next generation of clean energy workers and leaders to take advantage of new opportunities in this fast-expanding sector.”
Chris McDonald MP
Minister for Industry in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)Board
31%
24 boards removed at least one woman this year (vs 4 last year)
Leadership
36%
14 companies hit the 40% target - nearly double last year's 8. The brightest spot in the dataset.
Middle management
34%
Only 5 of 33 reporting companies hit 40% - one fewer than 2025. The pipeline for 2030's boards has stalled.
Why report this data?
- Publication of the annual statistics is an important part of POWERful Women’s work to challenge the sector on its gender diversity
- Gathering, monitoring and reporting data provides transparency and drives tangible progress towards diversity targets – “what gets measured gets managed”
- This exercise is part of the constructive support PfW provides to UK energy companies, such as the PfW Leaders’ Coalition, in setting clear expectations and encouraging ambition and action, through sharing good practice and facilitating discussion
About Bain & Company
Bain & Company is a global consultancy that helps the world’s most ambitious change makers define the future.
Across 65 cities in 40 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition, and redefine industries. We complement our tailored, integrated expertise with a vibrant ecosystem of digital innovators to deliver better, faster, and more enduring outcomes. Our 10-year commitment to invest more than $1 billion in pro bono services brings our talent, expertise, and insight to organizations tackling today’s urgent challenges in education, racial equity, social justice, economic development, and the environment. We earned a platinum rating from EcoVadis, the leading platform for environmental, social, and ethical performance ratings for global supply chains, putting us in the top 1% of all companies. Since our founding in 1973, we have measured our success by the success of our clients, and we proudly maintain the highest level of client advocacy in the industry.