Today, we celebrate International Women in Diplomacy Day. This day is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the incredible achievements of women in the field of diplomacy and their invaluable contributions to foster international relations, promote peace, and create positive change around the world.
The Equality in Energy Transitions Initiative aims to accelerate gender equality and diversity in clean energy transitions and close the gender gap by 2030. The Ambassadors program looks to recognize women in leadership roles and showcase role models in the clean energy sector. We have a lot of great opportunities for you to get engaged like attending events and advancing your understanding of gender equality in clean energy transitions. Check out the Equality Initiative website to learn more.
Forward this newsletter to a friend to let them know about the Equality Initiative. Join by emailing EqualityInitiative@hq.doe.gov .
Australia Spotlight
Sam Craft, Project Manager for Energy Masters
Sam Craft represents a fantastic example of a clean energy leader and role model for other women in the field. As a mother of a young daughter juggling work-life priorities, Sam has made it a priority to find time in her schedule for conversations with other women in the energy industry to foster connections and support one another.
Sam recently started in her new role as project manager for Energy Masters, a collaborative project to demonstrate the customer and industry benefits of demand flexibility and smart electric homes– an Australian first, bringing the network, retailers, and technology together. She also spoke at the Solar Cutters Adelaide Road Show about her journey in energy and how woman are a crucial piece of the puzzle in all parts of energy and the skills they bring, while also taking the time to highlight the other women attending the engagement. Lastly, Sam attended the launch for the Fearless Innovator Grant Program, celebrating women’s innovation and groundbreaking startups. She remarks the program doesn’t just provide funding but also represents “a movement to empower women, foster collaboration, and drive innovation forward.”
Chile Spotlight
Paulina Musalem, Head of Sustainability Planning & Stakeholder Engagement at Enel Chile
Earlier this month, Paulina Musalem participated in Siemens mentoring at the Betterland school that seeks to encourage 8th grade students to be inclined to work in Energy. The session had a part of knowledge and another of telling our experience in the field. See More
Jocelyn Ann Black, Corporate Affairs, ESG and Customer Manager, IMELSA ENERGÍA
Jocelyn Ann Black continues to participate in activities that contribute to the energy transition and advance gender diversity. She recently participated in the Climate of Change program in Radio Pauta. During the event, she discussed Chapter Zero Chile where she serves as Executive Director. She shared their purpose to build a community of directors and equip them to lead crucial board discussions on the impacts of climate change.
Jocelyn also joined as a juror, panelists, and speaker at the Grupo Latam’s Knowledge and Innovation Conference on transmission and roads. The conference brought together 4 countries in Medellín; that through their corporate entrepreneurs shared their projects, results, and ideas with an aim to raise ambition and amplify the work. Lastly, Jovelyn provided leadership in the launch of the Climate Governance Program for directors and front-line managers.
Alonso Daniel Pradenas Leiva, Senior Analyst, Structured Origination, AES Corporation
Recently, Alonso Pradenas was selected as a new fellow at the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, to promote DEI across the industry and learn leadership skills. See More
Claudia Andrea Ortiz Benavides, Hydrogen Economy Analyst, Hinicio
Last month, Claudia did a mentorship at the Betterland school for 7th grade students.
Claudia participated in a leadership speech organized by Emerging Leaders Group of Fluor and the Chilean Energy Ministerial
Learn & Engage
Powerful Women Annual State of the Nation Report
Now in its 10th year, POWERful Women has published its Annual State of the Nation report on female representation at board, leadership, and middle management levels in the 80 largest UK energy companies. The results are a mixed bag: whilst nearly 1/3 of companies have achieved 40% women on the board and several have got to gender parity, women occupy 29% of all board roles and 16% of executive board roles in the sector – the same as in 2023. The report includes a ‘Blueprint for Action’, with practical steps companies can take to increase not just representation but – critically – inclusion. There is also a set of case studies spotlighting the best performing companies – with some good practice that others can learn from.
Launched in 2014, POWERful Women (PfW) is a professional initiative to create a gender-balanced, diverse, and inclusive UK energy sector. Working with business leaders, D&I experts, government, the regulators, and aspiring women, PfW wants to accelerate change to ensure diverse talent for the energy transition.
Insights from the EU-US Just Transition Workshop on Energy Poverty
On May 14, 2024, the Department of Energy (DOE) hosted the EU-U.S. Just Transition Workshop on Energy Poverty. This event brought together stakeholders to address energy poverty and ensure a fair transition to clean energy, highlighting the importance of international cooperation.
The 2024 G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy
G7 leaders stood united at the G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy, taking bold action to meet the tests of our time including tackling the unequal gender distribution of care work, which contributes to gender inequality. The G7 committed to support, by 2035, at least 200 million more women to join the workforce by investing in efforts to close the global gap in the availability of childcare – including through the World Bank Invest in Childcare Initiative announced by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden in 2022 to help promote women’s economic opportunity. G7 partners have contributed more than $100 million to the World Bank to support more high-quality investments in childcare globally.
Evident Disparity in How Directors Appropriate the Role of Climate Leadership
“The action is an opportunity for directors to rethink the business, be creative and challenging, but at the same time, rigorous in evaluating future risks and scenarios and anticipate or prepare for how these can alter the production chain, logistics, structure, capital among others, ultimately impacting the capacity of the company to generate value sustainably over time to its groups related.”
Check out this recent opinion piece by our very own Equality Ambassador, Jocelyn Ann Black!
Extreme Heat Triggers Novel Payout for 50,000 Women in India
“A group of 50,000 self-employed women in India have become the first beneficiaries of a novel insurance scheme that pays out when temperatures hit certain extremes. .. This is the first time that insurance payouts and a direct cash assistance program have been combined to supplement the income of women when it’s dangerously hot,” said Kathy Baughman McLeod, CEO of non-profit Climate Resilience for All, which designed the insurance scheme along with India’s Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).”
Women Are Taking More Mental Health Days. Here’s How to Combat Stress & Burnout
“In 2023, 69% of mental health leaves of absence were taken by women…. One theory regarding the increase isn’t that things have suddenly gotten worse; rather, people are now in more psychologically safe work environments so they can speak up and take the time they would have previously been hesitant to request.” Check out the four tips from this article for how to improve mental health in the workplace.
Readout of White House Roundtable on Best Practices to Increase Women in Construction
On June 18th, senior representatives across the U.S Government met with semiconductor manufacturers, construction contractors, labor unions, tradeswomen groups, and advocates to discuss best practices that will expand the construction workforce by creating pathways for women and other underrepresented groups, as part of the U.S. President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. Participants in the roundtable made new announcements that build on ongoing efforts to reduce barriers and increase access for women and underrepresented communities in the construction trade including new
- commitments to the CHIPS Women in Construction Framework,
- pledges to the Million Women in Construction Community Pledge,
- and a resource released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Promising Practices for Preventing Harassment in the Construction Industry.
See the full readout here.
A quick update from the Ambassadors Program
This May, the Equality Initiative hosted a joint event, “Gender & Diversity: Integrating Inclusivity from Innovation to Deployment”. This event was the first joint Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and Mission Innovation (MI) session on gender which was held in Bali as part of the CEM Senior Officials’ Meeting and MI Annual Gathering. This session brought together key stakeholders to discuss the integration of gender equality, diversity, and inclusivity (GEDI) in energy transitions, aiming to raise awareness, share experiences, and develop actionable strategies for mainstreaming GEDI principles across the CEM and MI portfolios. Interested in reading more? See Here
Stay tuned to hear more about the Equality Initiatives upcoming plans and activities ahead of the 15th Clean Energy Ministerial to be held this October in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil!
