Utility Week

34 | APRIL 2023 | UTILITY WEEK Water Analysis Equity and diversity in the workplace is not just morally right – it makes sound business sense. Utility Week talks to water sector CEOs about gender balance in the industry. S tatistics released last month show companies in the UK have made great strides towards improving diversity of gender in leadership positions. In water there is much to celebrate with female chief executives at six companies and gender bal- ance becoming more evident at alllevels. Chief executives of Pennon, United Utili- ties and Northumbrian have shared their thoughts with Utility Week on what compa- nies can do to encourage more people to take up a career in water. Susan Davy, chief executive of Pennon says: "All businesses today have an impor- tant role to play in championing diversity and addressing inequality. "It's a privilege to be a CEO, whatever your background or gender, and we owe it to the teams we lead, and the customers we serve, to ensure that everyone who works for us and with us has a voice that can be heard, a point of view that can explored and a role to play." Re‡ ecting on teams she has been a part of, Davy says balanced teams are better at solv- ing complex problems, delivering innovative solutions and spotting new opportunities, as well as being powerful drivers of resilience. Davy accepts that there's no single solu- tion to achieving diversity in the workforce, but explains the steps Pennon has taken to increase the proportion of women work- ing for the company. The organisation uses so‰ ware to check its job adverts for biased language that could deter female applicants, it dedicates time to school programmes to encourage the next generation, and it sup- ports employees through networking groups as well as "taking the time to talk openly and honestly, and with empathy and care". Davy also lists the need for representation in a male-dominated industry. "Whatever your aspiration, or goal in life, I think you need two things – tenacity and opportunity," she says. "Unfortunately, sometimes having the opportunity to try something new, or progress, is hard to come by. But sometimes having others around you to encourage and support you to be the best you can be is all you need. Some of my best mentors in life and business are female." Lou Beardmore, chief executive des- ignate, United Utilities also believes that women's particular perspective and set of experiences are invaluable to any company. She says: "It is right, and long overdue, that more organisations have more women in leadership roles." Championing diversity not just at board level but right across the business will be on Beardmore's agenda as she takes up the chief executive role this spring when Steve Mogford retires. "I want United Utilities to be representative of the wonderful diversity we see across our region, helping to reassure our sta" and our customers that we under- stand, accept, and value them for who they are," she says. This diversity re‡ ects the customer base, Beardmore adds. "Having equity and oppor- tunity at the core of our working environ- ment reminds us to always do all we can to support our customers, and to do it in ways that are appropriate to each individual. "When girls see women • xing leaking pipes, driving water tankers, or building new treatment works, they will know it's possible for them to do that too. We need more vis- ibility of women who are doing these fantas- tic jobs here and now in order to inspire the next generation to come through and make our sector even better in the years to come," she says. "We also need to better demonstrate the opportunities, the ‡ exibility, and the importance of our work. The water sector is an unknown • eld in so many ways, and I believe that greater transparency in every- thing we do and about the people doing it will be really bene• cial for the future." Raising the bar on equality

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