Influential Women Powering the Energy Transition

This International Women’s Day we are highlighting some of the influential women in our leadership team who are at the head of the transition to renewables.

With 40% female representation in ACCIONA Energía Australia's local executive management team (above the industry average of 32%) and 40% female representation on our global board, the company demonstrates a commitment to diversity and opportunities for growth and advancement within our organisation.

Jo Stone, Director of Operations

In a rapidly evolving industry, working as Director of Operations at ACCIONA Energía has been an exciting and challenging role for Jo Stone. It was the opportunity for problem solving and critical thinking in a fast-changing industry that initially attracted her to the role.

Early on in Jo’s career, she had concerns that having many general skills in multiple areas would be a hindrance later on. However, landing a role that requires a focus on many areas (safety, people, leadership, risk and compliance), proved that being a generalist was advantageous.

“Now that I know my transferrable skills and key strengths, I can see how they represent strong value for a business.”

As a leader, Jo believes it’s important to be open-minded, inclusive, authentic, and empathetic. She sees the value in the lessons you can learn from others, engaging with people in all levels of her team.

To Jo, #embracingequity is about “recognising that everyone is different and needs different things to be their best.” Acknowledging and meeting the individual needs of everyone enables a diverse environment where dynamic and creative minds come together.

Melanie Sutton, Director, Energy Markets and Policy

Melanie Sutton, Director of Energy Market and Policy, has seen a positive shift in diversity and inclusion over the past ten years. She believes this is particularly noticeable in the clean energy industry.

“The clean energy sector is arguably more progressive and innovative than the ”traditional” energy. Innovation thrives where there is diversity in thinking, skills and experiences – and with that, gender representation.”

Working at ACCIONA Energía for the past 10 years, Melanie says that one way to overcome gender-based challenges is to make sure you are working at the right organisation – one that offers inclusion and opportunities for everyone, regardless of your gender.

“A significant influence for many women’s career choices could be having children, which may involve taking a “break” from corporate life. This needs to be considered, and respected, in how organisations address inclusion, equity and diversity objectives and facilitate professional opportunities for women. I think by having a sizeable representation of women at our executive level helps ensure that consideration and respect is given to women in our workforce.”

Melanie’s advice for young women in renewables is to have courage to do something different or differently. Be clear in your priorities and to look for challenges that can help you grow and develop. She promotes the renewable energy sector as one that isn’t limited to technical roles but encompasses, roles across many disciplines including trading, finance and risk, strategy, engineering, legal, communications, community and stakeholder engagement and planning and environmental – just to name a few.

Siham Knowles, General Manager Technical Services

Entering the energy industry in Australia as a Graduate Electrical Engineer over 25 years ago, Siham Knowles has always had a passion for the energy transition to a more secure, reliable, and sustainable future. Now, she leads a team of engineers as the General Manager of Technical Services.

“The opportunity to work for ACCIONA Energía aligns with my goals to make a positive contribution to society and to the planet.”

Siham has an important role in moving towards a clean energy future – Australia will not be able to achieve its ambitious renewable energy targets without strong leadership in the design and connection of large-scale renewable infrastructure to the grid. Drawing inspiration from her working mother, Siham has learnt to lead with courage, strength and compassion.

To work towards #embracingequity, Siham thinks we need to provide individuals with the tools they need to be successful.

“We need to enable a level playing field by creating an environment where women can participate equally in the workforce and industry. It’s necessary to recognise that we do not all start from the same place, and we need to make adjustments to those imbalances.”