It is time for greater gender diversity in the wind energy industry

As you may know, gender diversity is an essential ingredient for any industry as it drives innovation, opens new pathways for technology deployment, brings valuable perspectives to social and economic development and provides a richer pool of talent for key and emerging industries. Yet, as documented in IRENA’s January 2019 report “Renewable Energy: a Gender Perspective”, the renewables industry continues to be male-dominated.

In order to advance the role of women as agents of change in society and promote best practices within the wind industry, GWEC has teamed up with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) to launch the Women in Wind Global Leadership Program. This program is designed to accelerate the careers of women in the wind industry, support their pathway to leadership positions and foster a global network of mentorship knowledge-sharing and empowerment.

What is the Women in Wind Global Leadership Program?

A dedicated program of training and mentoring for women in the wind industry, aimed at providing its participants with global perspectives, high-level experience and the network to advance to leadership positions; A network of mentors among leading women in the wind industry; A comprehensive education program that can be expanded upon year-on-year to consistently incorporate the latest technology developments and best practices from the industry, covering the areas of policy and advocacy, project management, project financing, turbine engineering and more; A platform to assist leading companies in the sector in identifying talent and reaching new gender equality benchmarks, allowing them to fully leverage their human resources; and, A growing network of alumni who can serve as mentors for the next generation of women entering the industry over the next decade, as wind becomes one of the world’s dominant energy sources.

How can you support the program?

Nominate a mentee

Participants are drawn from a call for applications and nominations by program sponsors, open from 2-15 April 2019. Diversity in background and geography are driving principles of the program – we are seeking 8-10 participants across all disciplines of the sector, from or based in  key emerging markets for wind power: Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam.

Propose a mentor

We are seeking female executives, industry leaders, seasoned professionals and eminent experts who strongly believe in creating greater gender diversity in the wind industry and who would like to transfer their knowledge and experience to empower women on the cusp of promising careers. As most meetings and mentorship tools will be virtual, mentors can be based anywhere in the world.

Partner with us

If you want to drive greater gender diversity in the wind industry and invest in the empowerment of women, become a program Partner and sponsor this year-long initiative. Partners will be able to participate in: our storytelling campaign to bring visibility to gender diversity and showcase inspiring women in the wind industry; the learning and development of mentees; the support of webinars, seminars and networking events; as well as a high-visibility trip to Europe for all mentees in the program.

Join us at the launch event

GWEC and GWNET will be launching this exciting program on 2 April during WindEurope’s Conference and Exhibition in Bilbao . Join us there to celebrate gender diversity and hear from inspiring women in the industry including: Christine Lins, Co-Founder and Executive Director of GWNET; Tebogo Movundlela, CEO of Aurora Wind Power and Chairperson of the South African Wind Energy Association; Mary Quaney, CFO of Mainstream Renewable Power; and Malgosia Bartosik, Deputy CEO of WindEurope.

Can’t come to the launch event? Support the launch of the program and women’s empowerment in the wind industry from anywhere by following GWEC on Twitter and LinkedIn and using the hashtag #WomeninWind!

Find out more!