Written by Holly Skyrme, Project Coordinator & Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion at PCF
Throughout my career in marine energy, I have been really fortunate. I’ve never felt that being a woman held me back. I’ve always had space to grow, contribute and lead. I’ve been supported by brilliant colleagues, male and female.
At the same time, I’ve also been one of very few women in the room. I’ve been asked to attend events to ‘balance’ the group. I have seen panels, meetings, and working groups where a lack of diversity felt normalised.
So, when I read the 2025 POWERful Women’s Annual State of the Nation, the figures didn’t shock me. They did remind me that there is still distance to go and why we need to keep talking about EDI.
Image source: powerfulwomen.org.uk
Just 8% of energy CEOs in the UK are women. 16% of Executive Director roles are held by women. And 15% of companies still have all-male boards.
powerfulwomen.org.uk
The Business Case Isn’t Up For Debate
The evidence is clear. According to POWERful Women, diverse teams deliver better results:
- Companies in the top quartile for diverse executive teams are 21% more likely to be profitable
- Innovation revenue is 19% higher in companies with above-average diversity
- Having just one woman on a board reduces the risk of company failure by 20%
- Companies with more women on boards see a 66% higher return on capital than those with none.
- Firms with at least one female director enjoy 3.1% higher excess annual returns compared to those with all-male boards
These stats evidence considerable commercial advantages to being an equal and diverse organisation.
What I’ve Learned About Making Change From Within
Because I have always felt included, I feel a responsibility to help create environments where others feel the same.
As EDI Champion at PCF and with the EDI Working Group, we have made small but meaningful shifts from intention to action. We now:
- Rotate an EDI Champion role internally every 2 years since 2023, and run a monthly working group;
- Set gender balanced targets for speakers at events;
- Use an inclusive events guide to shape our public engagement;
- Review our policies to better support flexibility and fairness;
- Conduct EDI training for staff;
- Are continuously exploring new ways of becoming a more inclusive employer.
We want to lead with best practice, designing long-term systems that reflect the communities we serve and the future we are working towards.we’re building. We know we are not there yet, but these small, continuous steps are moving us in the right direction.
Image source: powerfulwomen.org.uk
We’re Also Investing In The Next Generation
Through our support to the SPARC Alliance, we have worked with over 170 girls in Pembrokeshire secondary schools so far, giving them hands-on experiences in welding, construction, engineering and many other low carbon and STEM skills. Many of them had never seen these careers as options before. When the pupils we work with see someone like them in a role, it changes what they believe is possible.
You can follow SPARC Alliance on Facebook
Image Source: SPARC Alliance pupils completing a classroom activity with Morgan Sindall Construction
What Else Can Organisations Do Now?
According to POWERful Women, there are clear steps organisations can take to meet the target of 40% female representation in management by 2030.
These include:
- Setting and publishing clear, measurable gender targets;
- Prioritising inclusive recruitment and progression, especially at mid-level where the pipeline thins;
- Tracking data across leadership levels to spot where the system is failing women;
- Building cultures where women can thrive through mentorship, training and other support.
What Can You Do As An Individual?
I believe that small, consistent actions make a difference.
Sometimes inclusion looks like mentoring someone in their role to enable them to progress, sometimes, it’s challenging a biased comment, sometimes it’s making space for a quiet voice to be heard.
So, here’s my challenge to anyone reading this: where do you already have influence and how can you use it to make your organisation more inclusive in practice?
All statistics and recommendations have been taken from POWERful Women’s 2025 State of the Nation and are based on the Energy Sector.