Voices of the future: Tackling the diversity gap

The energy industry has laid the foundations for net zero but it is the next generation of sector leaders that will be responsible for ensuring the 2050 target is achieved. From shifts in energy demand to how we deal with vulnerable customers, Covid-19 has resulted in a number of big changes this year. In the third of a series of articles, Adam John speaks to the winners of the Young Energy Professionals awards about how to ensure greater diversity and inclusion in the sector.

The first and second part of this series is available exclusively to Utility Week members.

Diversity is a topic the energy sector has long grappled with. According to the representative ONS Labour Force Survey, January-December 2018, of the 572,000 people employed by the sector and its supply chain, just 5 per cent identify as BAME compared to the 12 per cent average for other sectors.

Additionally, the sector is also overwhelmingly male – just 17 per cent identify as female compared to the 47 per cent average of other sectors. In addition to acknowledging the need for greater inclusion, the five point to other factors, such as age, which should not be overlooked.

Rajan Patel says: “Probably the only thing I’ve been pre-judged about is my age more than my skin tone because I look about 12! For me, I’ve worked in the UK and Sweden with Siemans and it’s been really inclusive, I’ve never once had any sort of issues with my ethnicity or my skin tone.”

Rodney Williams, who won the Diversity and Inclusion Focus award along with Matthew Young, raises the point of the average age of the sector, saying: “People stay in energy for a long time and you’ll meet people in our organisation that have worked there for almost 30 years. That’s because it’s a very large industry and a lot of people get into the energy industry because their family have done it. They’ve got that in their bloodline.

“Where I think the issue may lie is that you don’t necessarily see people from diverse groups progressing in the organisation. Yes we are seeing people from diverse backgrounds get into the organisations, we are seeing that pipeline of graduates getting into the energy industry but then when you look at an organisation and you look at the different layers of leadership and you go towards the top it does become very white and male. You don’t necessarily see many female engineers or people of colour in leadership positions. And then the same would apply to other lenses of diversity when it comes to LGBT or ability.”

Young warns of the dangers that unconscious bias can play in recruitment.

“I think the way recruitment works in our industries, because they are dominated by men and white men at that, unconscious biases come into play and people are more likely to hire those who look like themselves. So, I think there needs to be a change in the way we do procedures, make sure we have diverse panels and anonymise CVs and I think companies need to work on how they develop diverse talents.”

Gemma Harvey Cole has experienced first-hand entering into a very male-dominated sector as a woman. When she joined the sector a decade ago, she was the only female in her team. While she says things have gotten better since, she believes her experience points to the need for more female role models.

“It didn’t put me off but it put a barrier there, there wasn’t anybody to look up to at that stage in my career. They were all white, male, late 40s, it was a little more difficult. Now it’s changing considerably, there’s a lot more women in the profession than there was so you have those peers you can go to. It’s great the sector has recognised that there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

“Obviously diversity and inclusion needs to be at the heart of the recruitment process. If we are going to achieve net zero we need the broadest pool of talented people. In order to achieve that we need greater emphasis in schools, we need more of the STEM events. We are getting there but we are not there yet.”

Rubina Singh says: “Even now, depending on the situation, a lot of times I might be the only woman in the room or the only person of colour, and that needs to change. Especially when we are bringing in new talent, we want to bring in millennials, Generation Z. It would be great for them to see themselves represented at senior levels, to see the diversity to show how inclusive the energy industry can be.

“The second thing I would say I’ve noticed, and I think this a positive trend, is that companies are now setting targets for senior levels in terms of improving representation, whether that’s gender, diversity and beyond. I think it’s a fantastic move but at the same time I think these targets need to trickle down to the other levels. We need to focus on mid-management and lower management levels as well.”

Coming up on Voices of the Future:

In our fourth and final piece, Utility Week will focus on the greatest challenge faced by the energy sector; the road to net zero.