A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of participating in the 49th edition of The European House-Ambrosetti Annual Forum in Cernobbio, where we presented the preliminary results of the study conducted by the Floating Offshore Wind Community with our development partner Nadara as well as FINCANTIERI and Acciaierie d’Italia S.p.A. in A.S..
The results of the second edition of the Observatory on Women’s Empowerment by The European House-Ambrosetti were presented by Arancha Gonzalez Laya. I encourage everyone to read this very thorough and rigorous report: “promoting female empowerment is not just a matter of rights, but also a sizeable opportunity for economic growth and a key element of sustainable development. It can unlock up to $12 trillion, equivalent to 13.6% of G20 GDP in 2022, by achieving wage and employment equality.”
This is a very important message for the entire business community: we should embrace diversity, and especially gender equality, as a key driver of competitiveness and performance, not just as a matter of justice and social consciousness.
This is especially true in the renewable industry. The renewable energy sector is currently booming, yet it faces an increasingly pressing challenge: the talent war. The need to attract and train professionals in the field of renewable energies is more urgent than ever. The expansion of projects in solar, wind, hydroelectric, and other renewable energy sources is creating a growing demand for experts in areas such as engineering, project development, construction, operation and maintenance, and many other related fields.
The Spanish newspaper Diario EL PAÍS recently highlighted the surge in women pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. It is encouraging to see young Spanish women enrolling into STEM fields to ultimately pursue technical careers in a landscape where global engineering graduate numbers are declining. This trend is key because gender diversity is essential for driving innovation and success in all industries, especially in the field of renewable energies, where a diverse and talented workforce is crucial for sector development and addressing the challenge of climate change. Ensuring fair representation of women in decision making positions is crucial to driving more integrated environmental, social and economic agendas. Empowering women is also key to making the green and digital transitions fair and inclusive. In the EU alone, it could generate up to 1 million additional jobs from the green transition and employ at least 20 million in ICT.
Furthermore, empowering women enhances resilience against future shocks. Women’s jobs have proven more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change effects. Addressing gender inequalities is the path to more resilient, sustainable and inclusive societies going forward.
At BlueFloat Energy, our team embodies our commitment to diversity and inclusion, with a balanced gender ratio and representatives from 21 different nationalities. We proudly stand at 46% female and 54% male employees, well above the industry average. However, we still have a long way to go. The same ratio is 36% and 64% in the technical functions, and we still need more female talent in the top management roles.
In this regard, at BlueFloat Energy we support various initiatives promoting gender equality through training, mentoring and leadership programs. We take concrete actions to support women in their career development, aiming to achieve a fully diverse and inclusive workforce in the wind industry such as the Women in Wind leadership program led by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), in which Nailia Dindarova, Myriam Samba, and Julia Perez-Maura have participated. We also visit universities to deliver lectures, such as the recent one attended by Helena Brage at the Campus Industrial de Ferrol (Universidade da Coruña), where she explained to students, teachers, and the general public our Nordés Park Project, developed in collaboration with Sener. Additionally, BlueFloat Energy has partnered with OffshoreWind4Kids, to promote offshore wind technologies among the young generations and raise awareness around the energy transition. To stimulate gender diversity in STEM, OffshoreWind4Kids aim to reach as many girls as boys during their events.
Furthermore, we are very proud that our Technical Project Manager, Anni Piirainen has been shortlisted for the Future Leader Award in the Global Offshore Wind Awards 2023 by RenewableUK, highlighting the exceptional talent within our team.
We believe a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion promoted at all levels of the organization is key. This is why, at BlueFloat it is no news that our female colleagues exercise leadership, make decisions or enjoy the same opportunities as their male colleagues. We firmly believe that diversity should be an integral part of our ongoing commitment, and we will continue to advocate for diversity and inclusion to thrive in the energy industry and beyond.
Sources:
2nd edition of the Observatory on Women’s Empowerment 2023: Download the 2023 report
Article on the increase in the number of women enrolled in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) by Diario EL PAÍS: https://elpais.com/educacion/2023-07-10/las-adolescentes-ya-no-esconden-que-quieren-ser-ingenieras.html
OECD Environment Directorate, March 2022: https://www.oecd.org/environment/Policy-Highlights-Gender-and-Environment-Evidence-Base-and-Policy-Actions-to-Achieve-the-SDGs.pdf
