Exploring Gender Equity in the Energy Sector

Introduction: Welcome to another episode of the Beyond the Pay Gap Figure Podcast. Today, host Michelle Gyimah interviews Sarah Clark, the Decarbonisation Delivery Manager for Europe, Middle East & Africa and co-chair of the AXIS Network, a gender equity group supporting the energy transition in the UK.

Throughout her career, Sarah has held a variety of process engineering and project management positions in the UK and Poland, which includes design, offshore and site-based roles, as well as corporate consulting positions within O&G and military sectors. Sarah is passionate about the promotion of women in business and women in engineering and volunteers her time leading Wood's gender equality group and co-leads AXIS Network promoting gender parity. Sarah completed her Executive MBA in April 2022 and following an 18-month role working directly for the CEO and the executive team of a FTSE 250, Sarah recently joined the Decarbonisation team as the Decarbonisation Delivery Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Sarah lives outside of London with her husband and their two cats.

Key Discussion Points: Sarah discusses the origins and evolution of the AXIS Network, highlighting its efforts to create inclusive networking spaces for women and foster gender equity within the energy sector. Established in 2013, the network offers thought leadership events, mentoring programs, and the AXIS Pledge, which encourages companies to drive systemic change based on their data. The pledge, launched in 2019, faced challenges during the pandemic but has seen renewed efforts to maintain momentum.

The conversation touches on the slow progress in gender pay equity, with recent analyses showing modest gains by operators and service companies. Sarah emphasizes the importance of senior leadership commitment to achieve impactful change, rather than viewing diversity and inclusion as solely an HR responsibility.

Michelle and Sarah explore the challenges in attracting young talent to the energy sector, noting the sector's reputation and competition from other industries. They discuss the potential impact of ethnicity pay gap reporting and the importance of creating an environment where people feel safe to disclose their data.

The episode concludes with a discussion on the immediate challenges for organisations in addressing pay gaps and the need for systemic change. Sarah encourages listeners to join the AXIS Network and participate in its initiatives to drive gender equity in the energy sector.

For more information and to sign up for the AXIS Network, visit their website (https://www.axisnetwork.co.uk/) or email info@axisnetwork.co.uk

Quote Highlight: “Emphasising the importance of senior leadership commitment to achieve impactful change, rather than viewing diversity and inclusion as solely an HR responsibility”

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