Energy Leaders’ Coalition

The Energy Leaders’ Coalition comprises sixteen of the leading CEOs from the UK’s energy sector who are making a public declaration to improve gender diversity in their companies and in the sector as a whole. Each recognises that there is a rich pool of talented women in the sector who can make a significant contribution to the growth of their business and to the transformation of the UK’s energy sector to meet the challenges of the coming decades.

Members of the Energy Leaders Coalition (ELC) and the ELC Charter

  • Louise Kingham OBE, SVP Europe and Head of Country UK, bp
  • Mark Hartley, Managing Director – Generation, EDF
  • Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive, Centrica plc
  • Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax
  • Miya Paolucci, Country Chair, Engie Group
  • Simon Oscroft, Interim CEO, So Energy
  • Cordi O’Hara, President, National Grid Electricity Distribution, National Grid
  • Duncan Clark, Head of Region, Ørsted UK
  • Tom Glover, UK Chair, RWE
  • Keith Anderson, Chief Executive, ScottishPower
  • David Bunch, UK Country Chair, Shell UK
  • Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive, SSE
  • John Evans, CEO, Subsea 7
  • Craig Shanaghey, President – Operations EMEA, Wood
  • Stuart Payne, Chief Executive, North Sea Transition Authority
  • Jonathan Brearley, CEO, Ofgem

 

Each member has signed up to the ELC Charter which can be read here.

Founding members of the ELC:

 

When the Energy Leaders’ Coalition was formed in 2018, the original 8 members of the initiative also included:

 

 

Sinead Lynch, then UK Country Chair at Shell UK

 

 

 

Paul Cowling, then Managing Director of innogy Renewables UK

 

 

 

Matthew Wright, then Managing Director UK, Ørsted

 

Juliet Davenport, Co-Founder, Good Energy

 

 

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion. You can read the ELC’s first report below.

‘Investing in the diverse skills, strengths and talent needed for our energy future’ Energy Leaders’ Coalition Fifth Annual Report

15 November 2023

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In their Fifth Annual Report, published at PfW’s Annual Conference in November 2023, the members of the Energy Leaders’ Coalition set out their progress on improving female representation and workplace culture during the past 12 months.  A focus on investing in the diverse skills, strengths and talent needed for the UK’s energy future has seen positive results inside some of the largest energy employers, between them representing nearly two-thirds of the UK energy workforce.

 

Building on public commitments made last year, 2023 has seen a raft of new and improved company initiatives designed to attract, develop and retain female talent, particularly at middle management level and the ELC continues to offer a safe space for CEOs to share, learn and challenge each other – exploring what works and what doesn’t in an honest way.

 

Check out the report for a suite of good practice case studies – from new and improved flexible working and family policies and removing bias from recruitment to embedding DEI goals and reporting throughout the business and driving change in the wider supply chain.

 

 

Read the report here.

Read the press release here.

‘Achieving a gender-balanced, diverse and inclusive energy sector’ Energy Leaders’ Coalition Fourth Anniversary Report

22 November 2022 

In the Fourth Annual Report of the Energy Leaders’ Coalition (ELC), launched at PfW’s Annual Conference in November 2022, the UK heads of 16 of the largest energy employers – between them representing nearly three-quarters of the UK energy workforce – publish the progress they are making towards their own and industry targets on gender diversity and inclusion. The report shows that female representation is rising but too slowly and remains particularly poor at executive director level. The Coalition, which also includes the CEOs of Ofgem and the North Sea Transition Authority, pledges to support PfW’s new more ambitious industry-wide target to achieve a gender-balanced, diverse and inclusive industry and sets priorities for 2023. The report also includes inspiring case studies showcasing examples of the workplace policies and initiatives that make the most difference to women and to diversity data.

 

The Fourth Anniversary Report can be read here.

Read the Press Release here.

‘Accelerating gender diversity and inclusion for the Net Zero challenge’ Energy Leaders’ Coalition Third Anniversary Report

30 November 2021 

Published 17 days after the end of the COP26 climate talks, Accelerating gender diversity and inclusion for the Net Zero challenge is the Third Annual Report of the Energy Leaders’ Coalition, a commitment by the heads of 16 of the UK’s top energy companies to improving gender diversity and inclusion within their own organisations and across the UK energy sector as a whole. The report reviews progress made by the coalition in the past year, including publication of progress each company has made against its own and industry-wide targets on female representation and a pledge to accelerate progress to meet post COP26 and post Covid challenges. The report also features an inspiring set of case studies of diversity and inclusion initiatives that are making a difference.

 

The Third Anniversary Report can be read here.

Read the Press Release here.

‘Bringing gender diversity and inclusion commitments to life’ Energy Leaders’ Coalition Second Anniversary Report

1 Oct 2020 

Two years on from its establishment, the Energy Leaders’ Coalition – now with 14 members from the leading companies in the UK energy sector – has published its second anniversary report.  It reviews progress the companies are making against their targets to improve gender diversity and inclusion within their own organisations and across the energy sector as a whole. It reveals the good work each organisation is doing in case studies that others can learn from. – ‘recipes for inclusion’. And it sets out plans for year three to overcome remaining barriers in a shifting world.

 

The Second Anniversary Report can be read here.

Read the Press Release here.

 

‘Positive Steps Towards Gender Balance’ Energy Leaders’ Coalition First Anniversary Report

16 May 2019 

In May 2019, the leaders of eight of the UK’s top energy companies – competitors who between them represent 56,000 employees – came together to address an issue that matters to them: gender balance. Why? Because the energy sector is facing an unprecedented transformation – into a smarter, more flexible, low carbon energy system with new customer expectations – and these business leaders no longer want to miss out on a significant pool of female talent and expertise. 

 

So what has the Energy Leaders’ Coalition achieved in its first year?  This anniversary report sets out the research the companies have done over the past 12 months to identify barriers to gender balance and some of the initiatives they are already implementing internally to feed the pipeline of future female energy leaders. It also sets out what their plans are for year two and the positive steps they are committed to taking towards better gender balance.

 

The First Anniversary Report can be read here.

Read the Press Release of the anniversary report here

     Duncan Clark, Head of Country, UK, Ørsted

“At Ørsted, we want to run a business that has diversity, equity and inclusion at its heart.  Across the energy sector we need to deliver a step change in diversity and inclusion, ensuring we attract and retain the very best people to help us transform our industry and deliver to society a clean, secure and cost-effective Net Zero.  The Energy Leaders Coalition will play a key role in delivering this change, bringing together the most significant UK energy employers to share best practice and ensure that our actions match the public commitments the industry has made.”   Duncan Clark, Head of Country, UK, Ørsted

Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive, Centrica plc

“At Centrica, we’re on a journey to make sure that all colleagues feel welcome and can thrive. We know that by creating a more diverse workforce and a truly open and inclusive working environment that values and leverages the benefits of that diversity, we will win as individuals, as a business, as a sector, and as a society. It’s clear more needs to be done to attract, retain and develop women in the energy sector. I’m therefore delighted to join the Energy Leaders’ Coalition, as I passionately believe that we achieve more by working collectively than individually.”   Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive, Centrica plc

John Evans, CEO, Subsea 7

“At Subsea 7, we’re committed in offering you a place for innovation, an environment where you can thrive, and a career you can be proud of. We work hard to make our workplace fair, respectful, diverse, and inclusive for everyone, and take pride in the truly global workforce we have. No doubt we still have work to do to improve female representation in our company, that’s why our membership of the coalition is a declaration of our commitment. At Subsea 7, we believe that a diverse workforce is not only good for business, but more importantly, it’s the right thing to do.”

Michael Lewis, CEO of EON UK

“At E.ON, we believe our people are crucial for the future success of our business and critical to achieving our UK purpose of leading the energy transition. I’m proud of the work being done across E.ON to improve the diversity of our workforce and pledge my personal commitment to making sure that we continue to create a culture where everyone’s welcome, can be themselves and achieve their full potential. Joining the Coalition helps us to challenge ourselves to keep improving and working towards our goal of achieving gender diversity at all levels.’’

Monica Collings, CEO, So Energy

As a female CEO in an industry where women are underrepresented, I am thrilled to be joining Powerful Women’s Energy Leaders’ Coalition.

Here at So Energy, we are proud to represent the customers that we serve, and by promoting diversity and inclusion we better reflect the needs and views of our customers. It’s more important than ever to have diversity of thought in the current energy crisis to ensure we deliver innovative “out of the box” solutions for increasingly complicated issues. Ensuring women are present at the top table, as I have been in recent high-level talks with Government, helps ensure this. 

With recent OECD/IEA analysis showing that women only make up 14% of senior managers in energy-related sectors, female role models are essential in order to inspire the next generation of leaders and ensure diversity and inclusion remain high on the agenda.

This follows previous research by POWERful Women that half of the UK’s energy companies have all-male boards. These stark figures make clear, now more than ever, that everyone in the industry must play their part in rewarding careers for women and champion equality.”

Alistair Phillips-Davies, CEO, SSE Plc

“SSE believe greater difference causes broader debate, leading to better decisions and ultimately improved business delivery which is why we are fully committed to improving diversity and inclusion in its widest sense.  SSE was one of the first FTSE 100 companies to publish its gender pay gap in 2016 and has a plan to make SSE a more inclusive employer. As part of this we have implemented a wide range of targeted measures to encourage woman in, support women on and encourage women up in the organisation.  We’re making progress but there’s more work to be done and our Coalition will help drive this forward to make meaningful impact across the industry.”

Craig Shanaghey, President – Operations EMEA, Wood

“Wood is influencing positive change in gender diversity as part of our commitment to building a sustainable future for generations to come. Retaining and nurturing brilliant talent and generating the boldest solutions, takes creating a community that welcomes, celebrates and values difference in background, viewpoint and experience. Our membership of the coalition is testament to both our ambition and focus.”

Louise Kingham, UK Country VP, bp

“Since first announcing our gender ambition in 2012 bp has actively increased female representation throughout the company. By 2025 our ambition is to reach Gender Parity for our executive level roles and for 40% of top level leaders and 35% of our senior management to be women. By 2030 bp aims to reach Gender Parity for top level leaders and to achieve 40% female representation at other levels.  We recognise the unique challenge the energy sector faces in attracting female technicians, as such we are developing a separate ambition for those roles. We are delighted to be part of the Energy Leaders Coalition to push ourselves, and our industry, to always drive equity in this hugely important area.”

Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax

“Women hold around a fifth of senior roles at Drax – more than the global average for energy companies but we can do much better and I am committed to make that happen, because it’s the right thing to do and diverse and inclusive businesses are more successful. We aim to progress women and people from diverse backgrounds throughout all levels of our business and are taking steps to achieve that from even the earliest stages of career development by working with schools, colleges and universities. Joining the Energy Leaders’ Coalition gives us a helpful forum to learn what works and what doesn’t so we can ensure that we continue to drive meaningful change across a sector that has historically faced a long-standing gender and diversity imbalance.”

Kevin Dibble, Managing Director First Hydro Thermal Europe & Country Manager UK, ENGIE UK & Ireland

“ENGIE is purposefully driven and engaged towards delivering a positive social impact. We recognise the importance of greater diversity and inclusion in our workforce as a lever for sustainable growth and the achievement of net zero targets. As a Group, ENGIE has stepped up its actions to promote gender equality, however we recognise that as a business and more importantly as an industry sector, there is still a lot more that can be done. Business leaders are in a position to collectively drive change, inspire and develop women in the energy sector. I am delighted to be part of the Energy Leaders’ Coalition, so that we can exchange perspectives and explore ways in which we can continue to contribute towards a more diverse, equal and inclusive future.”

 

Cordi O’Hara OBE, President, National Grid Ventures, National Grid

“At National Grid we understand that increasing the diversity of the workplace is crucial to ensuring we have the best and most talented people to do our vital work. There is an issue across the energy industry in attracting, promoting and retaining female talent. That’s why initiatives like Powerful Women are great forums to help us come together to drive not only gender diversity but inclusion of more women in senior roles within the energy industry.”

 

Juliet Davenport, CEO and Founder, Good Energy

“I’ve seen first-hand in Good Energy that a diverse workforce, and a gender balanced board, make for a better business. Not only that, there’s also evidence that gender diversity could be a part of our switch to a greener future in the energy sector — we know that sustainability focussed businesses tend to be more balanced. That’s why, whilst it’s positive we have seen some progress in women moving into senior positions in energy, it’s absolutely crucial that this change continues to accelerate.”

 

Keith Anderson, CEO, ScottishPower

“I have always believed that a diverse workforce is the best way to drive success in an organisation and we’ve already seen with the emergence of the gender pay gap this year, the underrepresentation of women in senior roles brought more front of mind for business leaders than ever before. We’re proud to join the Energy Leaders Coalition and hope to lead by example by showing how gender diverse teams with strong leadership can deliver far greater levels of innovation, creativity and success for our business.”

Tom Glover, UK Chair, RWE

“At RWE we know that diversity is crucial. There is both a moral and business imperative to ensure everyone has equal opportunity to develop, progress and be rewarded at work. By being an active member of the Energy Leaders Coalition we can learn from others, lead by example and together drive impactful change, not just within our organisation but across the sector as a whole.”

 

Simone Rossi, CEO, EDF Energy

“We are proud to be supporting the Energy Leaders’ Coalition as it launches today. Having a more representative workforce makes good business sense. Historically there has been a high percentage of men working in the energy sector, and we are tackling this issue. We still don’t have enough women in senior positions.  We are committed to ensuring women take up more senior roles in our organisation, including developing the support networks to help them advance.  The new Coalition will allow us to share knowledge effectively and work collectively to increase gender diversity and encourage change in our industry.”

 

David Bunch, UK Country Chair, Shell

“We’re delivering critical work to help the country on its journey to net zero, and we need to recruit and nurture the best talent to do so. Diversity of thought and experience are essential business enablers, and Shell has an ambition to be one of the most diverse and inclusive organisations in the world. This is why we’re committed to supporting and empowering women both in our company and through our advocacy.”

 

Dominic Kieran, Managing Director, Cavendish Nuclear

“At Cavendish Nuclear we recognise that diverse teams generate better ideas, better decision making and better business outcomes. This is why Cavendish Nuclear has pledged its full support to the Nuclear Sector Deal commitment of 40% of women in the nuclear sector by 2030. As part of this, we are proud to be joining POWERful Women’s Energy Leaders’ Coalition, to work collaboratively to inspire more women to consider a career in the energy sector and in engineering.”

Read the press release of the launch of the Energy Leaders’ Coalition here.