Contributors
International law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) hosted its first Women in Energy event, exploring the key challenges faced by women and other underrepresented groups across the energy sector.
The event brought together a panel of leading individuals from the energy community to share experiences from their career journeys, facilitating discussion on how to influence diversity and affect change within the sector.
The panel was chaired by WBD energy partner Jo Beattie-Edwards who also co-chairs WBD’s women’s network Thrive which aims to support women across all levels and all areas of the business to achieve their potential at the firm.
Panellists discussed a range of topics including the impact and challenges of implementing Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) policies, as well as the solutions to overcome them.
Jo Beattie-Edwards, partner at WBD, commented:
"Creating opportunities for open, honest conversations is essential to driving progress on DEI. It is incredibly important that we listen, collaborate and learn from the diverse voices across the energy industry to enact change that truly lasts.
“This event reflects WBD’s ongoing commitment to fostering a more inclusive culture. As co-chair of our women’s network, Thrive, I’m proud of the impact we’re making in raising awareness of key issues facing women and equipping colleagues with the practical tools and resources they need.”
Participants also outlined the key DEI priorities they expect to shape the energy sector over the next five years:
Vivienne Inmonger, Assistant General Counsel at Ameresco explained:
“For me, retention, rather than recruitment, will continue to be the real challenge.
“While we see strong representation of women in law at trainee level, many, particularly diverse women, often leave private practice by mid-level. Despite the common narrative, many of those women are not leaving the law but they’re going in-house and to other legal opportunities. To make DEI work, especially in the energy sector, we need to be brave and face resistance to change head on."
Donna McFarlane, Legal Director at RES added:
“Over the next five years, social mobility should be front and centre for DEI policy.
“Making law accessible to those without existing connections is critical. I’m proud of the legal placement scheme that we have launched at RES, which WBD supports us with, that looks to break down these existing barriers, but as an industry we can’t lose momentum.”
Gavin Williams, Legal Counsel at RWE Offshore Wind said:
“The next five years will test the energy sector’s ability to stay dynamic.
“Renewables has often been synonymous with change, but as the industry becomes more standardised, we must continue to push the vision of change to drive progress in DEI. The energy sector can also be disparate, with many people working across different geographies. The challenge ahead therefore also lies in ensuring we’re working collaboratively to create lasting impact.”
Sandra Leece, Director of Legal UK at Vattenfall:
“As we look to the future, the energy sector must confront unconscious bias and build diverse leadership teams.
“Despite what some might think, unconscious bias still exists within the industry and it often shapes decisions quietly whether we notice it or not. At Vattenfall, we’ve introduced training for all recruitment managers that encourages hiring for what a team needs next, not what it has always had. Enhancing teams isn’t about echoing the familiar- we need diversity to spark fresh thinking and challenge assumptions.”
