Women in Solar+ Europe – Wisu Network lived this week with the launch of powerful State of the Nation report of the powerful women, where leaders and changemakers called to close faster action to close the gender gap in energy.
The incremental progress in the female representation in the British energy sector is not sufficient, especially at the top. That is the clear message of the Annual State of the Nation report 2025“ This week launched by Powerful Women (PFW) in collaboration with Bain & Company.
The Benchmarkt Gender Representation Report in the Top 100 UK Energy Employers (combined staff: 230,000+), which shows slow but steady profits in middle management, while important gaps exist in senior leadership:
- 30% of women’s administrative roles (against 29% in 2024)
- 16% of the roles of executive director, an increase of 15%
- 34% of the leadership roles remained unchanged
- 34% of the functions of middle management, an increase of 32% – the most striking increase
Yet 15 companies still have no female board members and 73% of the councils miss a single female executive director. Women stay rare at the top – only 8% of CEOs and 9% of the administrative seats are women. “It is disappointing not to see progress in women in energy leadership,” said Monica Collings, chairman of powerful women. “But it is encouraging to see an increase in middle management, which can indicate a future pipeline. Companies must act decisively – now.” “To achieve Zero, we have to attract new talent and build inclusive workplaces that reflect the communities that we serve. With only five years left to reach our 40% target for leadership and middle management, it is time to intensify the efforts.”
The British energy sector lags behind the FTSE 350, which has achieved all its 40% Women-on-Boards target. Unless every company adds at least one woman to the board in the coming six months, the sector will not overtake. Yet some movement is clear: five of the nine female board chairs, three of the eight female CEOs and eight of the 13 female CFOs were appointed within the past two years. Twenty boards added at least one woman in the past year, while only seven removed one or more.
One striking is NextEnergy Solar Fund, which leads the sector with 80% female administrative representation – a benchmark for what is possible through targeted leadership.
The report highlights clear trends:
- Large companies (2,000+ employees) average 32%administrative representation, prior to medium (30%) and small companies (28%).
- Of the 31 companies that achieve an objective of 40%, 13 (42%) oil and gas, 9 (29%) are power and utilities and 9 (29%) are alternative and renewable.
- European headquarters that perform better than UK and APAC colleagues, probably because of the regulatory momentum, including the EU gender balance on industrial councils
- Legacy sectors remain Furthest: Infrastructure and Distribution (24%) and Energy Financial & Investment Services (25%) have the lowest representation of the Female Council, hindered by cultural slowness and low sales.
“We have to tap all the pools of talent to meet Zero and tackle the Green Skills Gap,” said Olga Muscat, partner at Bain & Company. “This year’s statistics are a clear call for action.”
In the launch, Cordi O She emphasized that inclusive recruitment, culture buildings and mentoring form the core of this progress: “We have been very deliberately-Diriverse recruitment panels, employee sources, mentoring. Culture is crucial. The challenge for progression and retention is real.”
Elliott Rae, founder of Parenthood aloud parenthoodFocuses on the systemic barriers that working mothers are confronted: “In the UK, 80% of the 13.1% pay gap between men and women is due to the fine of motherhood. Mothers with two or more children are 40% more stressed than any other group. And 74,000 women lose their jobs every year because of motherly discrimination.” Rae called for broader cultural change with fathers: “Many fathers want to work flexibly and be fully involved parents. But outdated standards still dominate. Each education helps everyone.”
Sarah Jones, MP, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade, outlined government actions: “We strengthen equality laws through the bill for employment rights, where action plans are needed with reports of gender payment gap. We also have the system of parental disposal.” This summer she announced a new strategy for clean energy that will be launched this summer: “It sets social inclusion centrally in recruitment, retention and progression. From improving data collection to guaranteeing inclusive vacancies – this strategy will help create a modern energy treatment that uses all our brilliant female talent.”
Despite continuous barriers, the message of the report and the event was clear: the sex balance is within reach, but only if companies take urgent and intentional action. According to powerful women, the sector must add five women to leadership teams and 38 women in middle management, per company, by 2030 to achieve the goal of 40%.
As Monica Collings noted, “by presenting good practices of companies that are already at the forefront, we can cause a transforming shift in the industry.”
The energy transition requires innovation, resilience and inclusion. The report is both a warning and a route map. The path to gender balance is possible – but not guaranteed. It will require leadership, measurable action and a shift in culture. And as many panel members have made it clear, that change must now start. In order to remain competitive, innovative and sustainable, to stop the half of his talent on the sidelines. The energy transition will not succeed unless it includes everyone.
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