Diversio partners with Equal by 30 to set the global benchmark for diversity & inclusion in the Energy sector
Diversio announced today its partnershipwith Equal by 30, a global campaign led by Natural Resources Canada, to create the world’s first industry benchmark for diversity & inclusion in Energy. The effort is backed by the International Energy Agency, the Clean Energy Ministerial, and twelve federal governments: Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States.
The partnership comes as the global Energy sector faces significant challenges, including COVID-19, the transition to clean energy, and increasing awareness of systemic exclusion. Investors and regulators are calling on Energy companies to show they are tapping into diverse talent to successfully adapt.
Research shows that Energy companies with diversity in leadership show higher profits, greater innovation and lower risk. At the same time, women represent just 23% of Energy sector employees and 18% of Executive roles.
The partnership builds on Diversio’s history of forming global alliances to improve diversity in the most challenged industries, such as venture capital. The benchmark is due to be released in Fall 2020.
Hon. Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, said: “It is critical that we stay focused on empowering women in our energy sector, while collecting data to ensure that we are meeting our goals of gender equality.”
Dan Brouillette, the United States’ Secretary of Energy, said: “The United States celebrates our commitment to equal pay, leadership and opportunity for women across our clean energy enterprise. The United States is a proud signatory of Equal by 30 and C3E International and I look forward to continuing work to meet these objectives by 2030.”
Dan Dorner, Head of the Clean Energy Ministerial Secretariat, said: “The members of the Clean Energy Ministerial are leading the charge towards gender equality in the energy sector. This diversity and inclusion benchmark is a crucial tool to help achieve the goals of our Equal by 30 campaign. What gets measured gets managed, and this benchmark can help us better understand where we are now and the progress we are making towards our desired destination.”
Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, said: “Gender diversity is not only an issue of fairness – it is a matter of optimizing performance and results to achieve our global goals. The International Energy Agency promotes the need for equal opportunities and improved data collection on gender in the energy sector. We are committed to supporting governments looking to improve gender diversity in the energy sector to address future workforce needs.”
Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth said: “The energy industry’s transition to a low carbon future is going to be crucial not only in the UK’s journey to net zero, but also in creating new green collar jobs around the world as we recover from Covid-19. We must ensure we harness the talents of people from all walks of life in our efforts to tackle climate change, and the UK is committed to creating a more diverse workforce, including increasing the number of women in the energy sector.”
Mr. Anders Ygeman, Sweden’s Minister for Energy and Digital Development, said: “Gender diversity is essential to ensure access to necessary competence in the green energy transition. Increased availability of and systematic use of gender data is critical in the work towards closing that gender gap. The Swedish feminist government is committed to work tirelessly with matters on equality. Nationally as well as internationally, within the energy sector as well as in any sector.”
Laura McGee, CEO of Diversio, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Equal by 30 to advance diversity within the global Energy sector. The industry faces immense structural and COVID-19 related challenges that require innovative solutions. While there is no silver bullet, we believe it is essential for Energy companies to unlock the full range of talent. Those that succeed are positioned to survive and thrive in the long run.”
With diversity proven to positively impact the bottom line of an organization, more and more Energy companies are looking to increase diversity at senior levels. The partnership aims to encourage and enable Energy companies to implement proven, data-driven diversity solutions. Diversio and Equal by 30 welcome all Energy companies to join the effort.