Lydia Hirst has been designing and delivering leadership training for delegates from the oil and chemical industries, alongside various other sectors internationally for more than a decade and has previously worked for Shell Chemicals. Writing for The Leaders Council, Lydia discusses the need for equality in leading positions in the energy sector, and introduces a new programme for advancing women’s leadership in the industry.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has recently been appointed the new chief of the World Trade Organisation. She will be the first woman and the first African woman to lead this Switzerland-based global organisation. She is an inspiration to women all over the world.
In 2020, the Centre for Economic Policy Research [CEPR] and the World Economic Forum [WEF] reported that those countries which had been led by women had achieved better outcomes in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. From Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, to Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, to the newly elected US vice-president, Kamala Harris, Vogue identified 12 women leaders who helped to change the world.
In March 2020, the Advocacy group POWERful Women, in partnership with PwC, published a report on the gender balance of company boards in the energy sector. The statistics show that 21 per cent of board seats and 13 per cent of executive board seats are held by women. The target set by POWERFful Women is for 30 per cent of board roles to be held by women by 2030, so although there has been progress, there is still a way to go.
In the US, there are fewer women in oil and gas than in most other major industries, as reported by Catalyst, a global non-profit organisation which works with some of the world’s most powerful CEOs and leading companies to create workplaces which allow women to prosper. The following global statistics show how the number of women decreases with seniority:
• 27 per cent of entry-level positions [requiring college degrees]
• 25 per cent of mid-career roles
• 17 per cent of senior/executive-level roles
• One per cent of CEOs
In particular, Catalyst highlights that there is a scarcity in the number of women taking up technical or field roles and that these roles are often the ones which lead to career advancement.
There are notable exceptions. Dr Elbia Gannoum, president of the Brazilian Wind Energy Association, was awarded the Woman of Distinction Award in 2019. In the UK, Baroness Verma and Laura Sandys launched POWERful Women in 2014, a professional initiative to support the advancement of women in the energy sector.
Research has shown time and again, the benefits of diverse management teams. An article in the Harvard Business Review in 2016, highlights numerous benefits resulting from gender-balanced management teams including: greater employee engagement, an enhanced brand image, greater client satisfaction, improved business growth and more profits and cash.
Delegates who attend our course on Women’s Leadership in the Energy Sector will gain insights into the current challenges and opportunities which exist for women in the sector. The course offers opportunities for personal development. Delegates will have the change to identify personal and organisational approaches for developing a gender diverse pipeline to ensure that in future companies are led by more gender balanced leadership teams.
