This week, during the Intersolar 2025, women in Solar+ Europe organized a powerful workshop entitled Women who reform the leadership story. Female leaders and experts from the entire sector gathered to challenge outdated stereotypes and to define authentic, including leadership. From embracing vulnerability and rejecting the ‘to’ labels that are often placed on women, reformulating feedback and leading without apology, the participants investigated how they could convert long prejudices into strong points. The session promoted the open dialogue, intergenerational insight and a shared dedication to modeling change, so that those present were inspired to continue to reform leadership on their own conditions.
In a sector where leadership has long been filtered by a male lens, our recent workshop, Women who reform the leadership storyIt took place during Intersolar 2025, served as a transforming space for reflection, telling truth and collective reinvestion. Women from our solar plus industries not only met for discussing, but to define what it means to lead – with vulnerability, authenticity and unwavering trust.
We started with an invitation: what if the properties that were historically rejected as female “weaknesses” were in fact the leadership strengths that we need for a more sustainable, fair future?
Maria Sabella, founder and CEO of and narrower Energy Services, recorded this mind beautifully. “It was very inspiring because we rarely get the chance to talk openly among women,” she thought. “We have adjusted the stereotypes that characterize female leadership – starting with perception and change it. We can be vulnerable and authentic. We don’t have to justify ourselves.” Maria emphasized the importance of unapologically embracing our leadership styles and emphasized something deeply embedded in the conditioning of many women: “We have to accept compliments. Every time we receive one, we tend to reduce ourselves. We earn them.”
This tone of empowerment by reformulating it took place at the table of Gulnara Abdullina, where the member of the board of Dii Desert Energy led a powerful reflection. “I enjoyed a versatile group – different ages, races, backgrounds – and that wealth was our discussion,” she said. The group dissected negative stereotypes about female leaders and then asked: “What if a man showed the same behavior?” Gulnara reformulated “irrational” or “aggressive” as “confident” and “reassuring”, described the outcome as “transforming the sample into a strong, empowering image.” It is just as important that she emphasized the ‘safe environment that made vulnerability possible’, who catalyzed deeply personal and impactful insights.
Isabelle Importator, founder and director of Coup De Vent Energie, brought an intergenerational perspective and noticed how “the younger generations – women and men – are more aware and act differently.” Her table was also concerned with a noun: “Mannetic? No, she’s just self-confident. Bossy? No, business. Cold? Maybe focused. Too nice? Maybe empathetic and what’s wrong there?” Isabelle emphasized that women often internalize these stereotypes and model the shift: “We have to give the good example. We also have to reconsider how feedback is given – for women it is often ‘you are good, but …’ that ‘only’ hips us. It makes us ask if we are always enough.” Her call was clear: let’s stop accepting “conditional competence” as a standard.
Claire Gardner, marketing manager Europe at Solis, appealed to the treacherous’ te ‘labels:’ Too calm, too loud, too bossy – these are never used to describe men. Men are just ‘good guys’. Women are labeled. “She repeated the group’s consensus on the unlearning of internalized stories, but also emphasized inclusiveness:” This is not about excluding men. The point is to give them permission to gain access to and their emotional side. Leadership evolution includes everyone. “
Adding a final wave of inspiration was Angelika Möbius, founder and CEO of Solar Ai Twin, who summarized the session with gratitude and determination. “I am completely inspired by these very inspiring women that I met this morning,” she said. “We had a longer discussion about stereotypes, with very personal stories that are shared and this is the starting point for change. I saw passionate, self-conscious, driven women who contribute to their unique characteristics of female personality to make a real impact.
What emerged from the workshop was not only a criticism of how leadership is closely defined – but a blueprint to define it again. By consciously reforming the language, reforming conditioned self -doubt and embracing properties such as empathy and authenticity, women in Solar+ Leaders and members are exercised a leadership model that is sustainable, including and real.
While we closed the day, one truth mainly resonated: it is time to stop measuring women against outdated templates and starting new ones to build the full range of human leadership. And we do not only reform the story – we reform the future.
Interested in becoming a member Women in solar energy+ Europe? Read more about www.wiseu.network
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author, and do not necessarily reflect it by PV -Magazine.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to work with us and reuse part of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
