New taskforce launched to improve diversity in energy

A new taskforce spearheaded by Energy UK, Ofgem and Energy Networks Association (ENA) is being launched which aims to drive industry-wide action to improve diversity.

The Tackling Inclusion and Diversity in Energy (TIDE) Taskforce will run for 18 months and will see leading industry experts combine cross-sector insights and build on the existing works by various groups. Additionally, it will be held to account through a regular reporting requirement.

So far the TIDE Taskforce consists of 10 members, including representatives from Powerful Women, Pride in Energy and the Young Energy Professionals.

These include:

• Celia Anderson, gender champion for the offshore wind industry and co-chair for the OWIC Diversity Working Group
• Josh Atkins, head of communications at the ENA and chair and founder of Pride in Energy
• Lesley Babb, head of equality, diversity and inclusion at  Ofgem
• Elizabeth Blakelock, principal policy manager for Citizens Advice
• Caroline Gundu, senior consultant at CGI and chair of Young Energy Professionals Forum
• Amelia Heatly, director of diversity and inclusion at Electralink
• Jonathan Lydiard Wilson, senior independent advisor for JLW Innovations
• John McCalla-Leacy, partner and UK head of ESG at KPMG
• Juliette Sanders, director of communications and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) lead for Energy UK
• Georgina Worrall, project manager for Powerful Women

Energy UK’s director of strategic communications and EDI lead, Juliette Sanders, said working collaboratively is “essential” to ensure the sector attracts and retains a diverse workforce.

She added: “There is some great work happening in some parts of industry and TIDE aims to bring together the people that have already driven change to provide a high-level coordinated approach across industry.

“We want to ensure that rather than duplicating, we combine knowledge and share experience to adopt best practice across all parts of industry. ”

Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: “True representation is at the heart of any successful industry and so we must move further and faster to ensure we can attract the very best people from all backgrounds into the energy industry.

“I’m really pleased that for the third year in a row, we will have the energy industry’s leaders coming together once more to get to grips with this issue, and that this year we will be launching a taskforce to take away actions and report back.

David Smith, ENA chief executive, said: “Year on year the energy sector continues to decarbonise, decentralise and digitalise, and I am thrilled that through partnerships and events like this we can keep making progress on the critical fourth D of diversity.

“Equity and Inclusion are at the heart of what we do, serving every home and business in the country and through existing avenues and new ones, like the cross-industry taskforce, we’ll keep doing what we can to make positive change for all.”