Gender inclusivity is a key component of a sustainable future

Here, Pam Wright, Chief HR Officer at Equans UK & Ireland, discusses the importance of gender inclusivity in the workplace and the steps Equans is taking to ensure this is a reality.

This week, I had the privilege of attending Equans' Gender Plus event at our UK Head Office. The event featured inspiring stories, collaborative workshops, and discussions on current and future initiatives. With attendees joining both in person and remotely, the event aimed to inspire, celebrate, enable women to build their networks, and drive gender representation forward.

The rapid shift to a decarbonised world relies on the technical expertise and diverse perspectives of our people. However, our industries still face gender imbalances due to the historic underrepresentation of women in energy, engineering, facilities, and regeneration sectors. As an industry leader, Equans recognises and takes seriously its role in driving change.

In addition to this week’s event, we’re collaborating on gender inclusivity with our sister companies in Bouygues Group and through an industry partnership with the Women’s Engineering Society. These initiatives form part of our broader efforts to drive greater gender inclusivity in our industries. We’ve also implemented several programmes across our business to attract, develop, and care for our talented female colleagues.

For development, we’ve launched key initiatives such as the Women in Leadership programme, now in its second year, with 20% of participants receiving promotions to date. We’re also piloting a reciprocal mentoring programme supported by our executive team, providing 360-degree feedback to support women’s progression.

Our efforts also focus on attracting new talent. The Girls Believe Academy encourages young women into STEM, and our Future Jobs campaign, led by a female protagonist, explores opportunities for future generations.

Caring for our female colleagues is equally important. Our Women Together network promotes exchange, solidarity, and inclusive behaviour, representing all women at Equans. These efforts are part of our broader Be Yourself strategy, driving positive change to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and industry culture.

I am proud of our progress, but we must go further, faster. Gender inclusivity is crucial to our mission of creating a sustainable future for our customers.

#GenderEquality #Sustainability #Inclusion #Decarbonisation #EquansIMPACT #BeYourself