As an executive search consultant deeply engaged in the energy sector, I know that the barriers to women’s progression are complex, structural, and persistent.
Events like Women in New Energy are vital - not because they offer quick fixes, but because they bring focus, visibility, and energy to the work of systemic change.
One of the most damaging assumptions is that women are less ambitious than men. In fact, women are just as likely to aspire to leadership roles, but they're promoted at slower rates, often due to unconscious bias and outdated perceptions of leadership “readiness”. This results in women being overlooked, their potential untapped not due to lack of ambition, but due to a lack of opportunity.
For instance, a study from MIT Sloan found that women received higher performance ratings than male employees but were rated 8.3% lower for potential, resulting in them being 14% less likely to be promoted.
Women often face additional challenges such as the "ambition penalty," where assertive women are perceived as less likable and hireable. There are also well-documented representation gaps in STEM, the motherhood penalty, and enduring pay disparity. These aren’t isolated issues—they are interconnected, and they require structured, strategic responses.
Progress is happening. AI-powered bias auditing tools are helping hiring panels spot patterns of exclusion. Remote and flexible working has created new opportunities for balance and inclusion. Female-led startups and leadership programmes are growing, challenging traditional norms and building new pathways for progression and fulfilment.
If you’re searching for tangible ways to support the progression of women in your organisation here are my priority recommendations:
- Grease the wheels of personal development by offering mentorship or sponsorship programmes that provide guidance and aspirational support.
- Provide targeted training that nurtures success and self-promotion through the attainment of stretch targets and the completion of business-critical projects.
- Critically review your application and selection processes for inherent bias.
- Embrace flexibility to make it easier for women to balance professional and personal responsibilities, reducing the impact of the motherhood penalty.
- Celebrate success and achievement – raise awareness of the amazing work happening in your business, this is particularly powerful for individuals who are remote workers or quietly making strides under the radar in the office.
- Recognise the impact of pregnancy, caregiving and menopause on women’s careers and take actions that educate colleagues, enhance well-being and boost retention.
Of course, I can’t finish without recommending a conversation with a recruiter or executive search specialist. We understand the intricacies of career progression and have observed the frustrations of many talented, overlooked women. We’ll help you see your hiring and promotion processes through a different lens, one that provides greater clarity on your perceptions of leadership readiness.
Do you lean towards unfair and ineffective assumptions about those who are ready to lead? Let me expose a few common misconceptions I encounter in my line of work:
- Leaders should have a linear career path, with full-time, continuous service and a steady trajectory of progression.
- Being “visible” in the office equates to a better ability to lead.
- Confidence is mistaken for competence.
- Individual potential is overlooked in favour of work experience that has impressive job titles.
- Undervaluing communication skills, emotional intelligence and leading with empathy rather than dominance.
The real measure of progress isn’t how often we talk about equality, but how, individually, we take responsibility for thinking differently about leadership, talent and potential, and as a collective, how we deliberately dismantle the systems that frustrate equal opportunities for women.
I’d love to know the organisational changes you are making that leverage the talents and leadership capabilities of all your employees.
To discuss leadership, C-suite resourcing, and inclusive hiring practice please contact Amanda McCulloch on amanda@tmmexecutive.com or T 01224 327 016.