This week Women in Solar Europe (Wisu) give voice to Katherine Vinnicombe, director Bess at Italy in Innovo. She says that women who now enter renewable energy sources have a smoother path than ten years ago, although still far from fair. “Recognizing your presence in decision -making discussions is essential. It normalizes diversity for those who follow,” she says.
The renewable energy sector is the key to the struggle of humanity against climate change, in which the world is presented again. To take on this challenge, the industry must use the full potential of all available talent – including women, who are considerably under -represented in technical and leadership roles. The data is clear: various teams encourage better results. The question is not whether diversity matters, but why the sector continues to overlook a clear competitive advantage.
Despite the progress in equality, women only hold 38% of the PhD students in physical sciences and 27% in Engineering – both crucial for innovation of renewable energy. Industrial data (OECD & International Energy Agency) indicates that only 14% of senior managers are women. This imbalance is visible in conference panels and board rooms, where male voices dominate discussions about the future of energy.
The consequences are equipment. Research by Bank of America Global Research shows that companies with upper medical female leadership yield 30% higher efficiency on equity. In an industry where effective capital allocation and technological innovation are successful, excluding half of the population of the decision-making roles is not only unfair it is strategically defective.
My own path illustrates some systemic obstacles with which women are confronted and the transforming power of including leadership. In 2008 I went to HBOS/Lloyds Bank in 2008, a moment when the financial sector from the crisis staggered and started confronting her lack of diversity. Institutions that were once dominated by homogeneous leadership had just demonstrated how group thinking could cause the financial disaster. The resulting changes created room for new voices, but old prejudices continued to exist.
I was asked why someone “nice” like I didn’t work in a good cause instead of a bank. Such comments revealed deeper assumptions about the role of women in the industry with high deployment. What made the difference was finding allies – male colleagues who potentially recognized, not stereotypes. These people stay in my network today on the ‘panel’ of bank korgers with which I would collaborate as an equity investor.
Other early experiences illustrated how workplaces can suffocate or accelerate progress. During the UK from 2010 Solar Boom, as an investment professional at Foresight, I initially negotiated with some developers and landowners to get in touch with female dealmakers. Comments can be just as ridiculous as “my daughter is as old as you” (which means that neither she nor you should be taken seriously). My calm but open approach, which shows that I was the one with the objective skills, knowledge and decision -making to do the deal, together with the strong rejection of my manager of their approach, gave an important message. By the end of this period I led milestone projects.
Later, at Eelmower, I joined a company where gender diversity was not a side issue, but an operational priority. The dedication of the company for admission was so effective that the gender’s wage gap for preference gave women – a rarity in every industry. This was not tokenism; It was a recognition that different teams simply perform better.
For women who introduce renewable energy sources today, the path is smoother than ten years ago – but far from fair. Find mentors and sponsors, both male and female, who argue for your progress. Recognizing your presence in decision -making discussions is essential. It normalizes diversity for those who follow.
I remember a crucial moment as a junior; A bank director observed me to speak unless absolutely sure, while others expressed half -shaped ideas. This made me realize how women were socialized to prevent observed over -range – a tendency that can silence valuable perspectives. As individuals we have to challenge these tendencies and remember our merits. Renewable companies must actively prevent outdated patterns. The results speak for themselves. At Innovo, where women lead critical departments, including legal, HR and energy storage, we have achieved rapid growth in addition to recognition as a top workplace. We embrace progressive management training, smart work patterns and have obtained certificates such as “great place to work” and progress in the direction of the Italian certification of gender equality.
Our sector cannot afford to waste talent in the race to decrease the world economy. Women must continue to step confident. Real innovation requires perspectives formed by different life experiences. By making inclusion to a strategic priority instead of box-ticking, the industry can therefore build up the full potential and thus build a more sustainable future for everyone.
Katherine came to Innovo in 2024 as managing director for Bess (Energy Storage). It leads the strategic growth of the Bess division of Innovo, as well as fundraising, development, construction and activities of Bess throughout Europe. She has been in industry for more than 15 years. Earlier, Katherine led to business development for leading British Bess Business Eelpower, who supervised the doubling of their project portfolio. This was immediately preceded by an enchantment at the SSE of the utility, with which strategic investments are obtained for renewable energy sources, including converting large ex-Koal Power sites to large British BESS projects (FerryBridge & Fiddlers Ferry). Earlier she was a senior investment manager at Foresight, originating from renewable transactions and projects in the UK and Europe, after an early career at Lloyds/Bank of Scotland that pioneers were in loans to offshore wind and solar energy. Katherine graduated from Cambridge University. She loves mountain climbing and the natural environment, which is co-incident in her move to northern Italy.
Interested in becoming a member Catherine Vinnicombe And other leaders and experts in the industry at women in Solar Europe? More information: www.wiseu.network
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