Outnumbered
It can be lonely being the only woman in a room, and female allies dwindle the more senior the position. A shocking 74% of top UK energy companies have no women in executive director positions and 21% have no women on the board at all, according to figures from POWERful Women. Outliers include National Grid group, which has 43% female representation on the board, rising to 50% within its distribution business.
Female role models in positions of power are a source of knowledge and inspiration, but as Butlin explains, “It is very exposing when you don't have people to look at who have done it before, you're essentially having to plough your own furrow.”
The Cultivating Female Talent report found women in energy are less likely to recommend working at their company to a female friend or colleague the more senior they become, with the lack of role models identified as a key factor.
Northumbrian Water has an equal gender split in its executive team, which it says not only benefits females internally, but has positively impacted on females applying for roles within the business.
“We are working to improve gender balance at the next level of leadership in our business,” says Elouise Leonard-Cross, group head of people, strategy, and experience at Northumbrian Water, who adds that the executive team and senior leadership roles are the most visible in the organisation and “need a more even gender distribution for people to feel this is an achievable career goal, particularly within our operational areas”.
Men may be overrepresented in utilities, but simple changes to their behaviour, taking women into account, can make a big difference. “If you're in a minority around a big meeting table, men need to invite you into the conversation,” says O’Hara. “If a woman has made a point, but it hasn't been heard, men need to acknowledge where it came from. It’s about inviting voices in and reinforcing where contributions have come from. These are everyday behaviours we can all embrace.”
Male ‘allies’ can also play a critical role in creating supportive workplace cultures, mentoring women, and contributing to female promotion and resourcing decisions.
That said, it’s important that allyship “is done well”, says Jackson, which begins by listening to women’s “actual needs in terms of support, and not making assumptions”.
Some companies, such as Northumbrian Water, have taken mentorship a stage further than simply using male allies as a source of senior guidance and knowledge. The water company has implemented a sponsorship programme whereby male sponsors become active advocates for women who have demonstrated promise in the workplace, promoting their abilities in male-dominated meeting rooms and beyond.
“If you're in a minority around a big meeting table, men need to invite you into the conversation.”
Cordi O’Hara, president of National Grid Electricity Distribution. “