Paris Session 2024 - Forum CIGRE Women In Energy
The 6th CIGRE Women in Energy Forum (WIE) was held on August 29, 2024, during the CIGRE Paris Session. The WIE Forum's theme was “Championing Diversity: Lighting the Path to Net Zero with an Inclusive Workforce.”
By Solange David,
Chair CIGRE Women in Energy
The aim of this Forum was to discuss the role of women in the energy sector and how to inspire women to take more active participation within CIGRE activities.
More than 250 people were present in person and there was also online participation from people from several countries. The 6th Forum CIGRE Women in Energy agenda included:
- Opening
- Keynote speaker: “Diverse and inclusive teams light the path to the future energy system”
- CIGRE Net Zero Initiative
- WiE Survey results on championing diversity
- CIGRE digital re-invent
- Championing diversity in CIGRE Study Committees
- World Café: “WiE Journeys around the world”
- “Diversity – we are almost there!” -Stand-up comedy performance
- Closing remarks
The Opening Adress was moderated by Dr. Solange David (Chair of WiE) and Dr. Biljana Stojkovska (Vice Chair of WiE). President of CIGRE, Mr. Michel Augonnet, and the newly elected President of CIGRE, Mr. Konstantin Papailiou, spoke to the forum.
The importance of CIGRE's support was mentioned for WiE activities and the recognition of the importance of diversity. Some perspectives included its benefits, and the need to encourage more actions for the development and inclusion of women in the technical, management and leadership areas. The evolution of women's participation in CIGRE is necessary, which should be increasing, according to the engagement of women in the institution.
Laura Fleming (United Kingdom, Country managing director UK & Ireland, Hitachi Energy), was our keynote speaker, whose theme was “Diverse and inclusive teams light the path to the future energy system.” Preparing people in an increasingly inclusive way is essential for a fairer energy transition. Business initiatives are essential for more appropriate and consistent results, which makes society more participatory and aware of its role in the sustainability of the electrical sector.
Marcela I. Mantilla M., PhD (France-Colombia) presented activities related to the Net Zero Initiative and what has been developed by CIGRE. The topic of the lecture was: “Accelerating energy transition through collaboration: Embracing diversity, inclusion and varied perspectives.”
Some of the questions raised were: 1. How does climate change affect your job / your life / your company / your country / your region? 2. How do you balance energy security and Net Zero as complementary aspects in your context? 3. Which partnerships are needed to succeed to reach Net Zero? 4. Which strategies are in place in your countries or regions to approach Net Zero? 5. Education / How could CIGRE support - which groups already exist to work on this? 6. What can you say from legal-regulatory perspectives and policies in your country? 7. What about the responsibility for developing activities on Net Zero?
Carla Damasceno Peixoto Damasceno (Brazil) presented the analysis of the research on women's performance in the energy sector. The survey was answered by several Board of Directors, Study Committees Chairs & Secretaries, WiE National Committee representatives and National Committee representatives.
The questions presented were: 1. What initiatives or mentorship programs could be implemented to foster career advancement for Women in Energy? 2. How can the energy sector contribute to promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education among women? 3. Outline the main actions of your National Committee best practices and improvements for gender equality among CIGRE members. 4. Collaboration with other national/international organizations, focused on women empowerment in your country. Below are the six main points observed from the responses presented in the survey.
Philippe Adam, Secretary General, CIGRE (France), explained about the CIGRE digital advancement and possibilities about the future. The vision of CIGRE’s digital platform has been built over time. CIGRE has expanded its membership, with increasingly relevant technical publications in the field of energy transition. The digital platform is essential for sharing knowledge with the world for energy systems expertise and the thousands of CIGRE volunteers, especially in view of the numerous global challenges for decarbonization and sustainability of the electrical system and businesses in general.
Chairs of the CIGRE Study Committees explained the activities of the respective committees and encouraged women's participation, which was very positive. The following Chairs participated in this phase of the Forum: Rannveig Loken, Chair of SC B5 (Norway) and new CIGRE Technical Council Chair; Mercedes Vasquez, Chair of SC C3 (Spain); Nenad Uzelac, Chair of SC A3 (United States) and Koji Kawakita, Chair of SC B3 (Japan), moderated by Britta Buchholz (Germany).
Philippe Adam
Rannveig Loken
Mercedes Vasquez
Nenad Uzelac
Koji Kawakita
Britta Buchholz
At the World Cafe, in addition to meetings between people from various countries, posters from various women's forums from national committees were presented. Women in Energy Chairs discussed their national journeys. The following countries prepared their posters: Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Turkey.
The questions that would be discussed were: 1. Career Advancement and Leadership Opportunities/ Mentoring/ Career Development - What initiatives or mentorship programs could be implemented to foster career advancement for women in energy? 2. STEM Education - How can the energy sector contribute to promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education among women and girls?
To end the event lightly and reflectively, there was a stand-up comedy show, with the theme “Diversity – we are almost there!” It was a great time to reflect on how we can improve the way we deal with everyday issues in order to increase inclusion, diversity and empathy with people and situations in the professional environment. Above all, it was clear how different intelligence and visions can add value and improve companies' activities.
Our speakers shared their experiences, best practices, and discuss current activities that encourage diversity and inclusion in the energy sector, in addition to receiving thoughtful suggestions for future actions.
It was also highlighted the need to have discussions and practical solutions around the inclusion and retention of women in the energy sector, in general. It was recalled that the technical committees of the various countries that are part of CIGRE have an essential role in this initiative, to encourage and support women, to expand their participation and work.
We want to thank CIGRE´s former President Michel Augonnet and President Konstantin O. Papailiou, former Technical Council Chair Marcio Szechtman, Treasurer Michael Heyeck, David Flandin and Raty Nizar, for the support in the organization. Thank you for Our Dream Team from the WIE Forum coordination: Biljana Stojkovska, Britta Buchholz, Carla Damasceno Peixoto, Pranvera Dobruna Kryeziu, and Yi-Ting (Tina) Chou.
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