Our office will be closed from December 23, 2024 and reopening January 6, 2025.

Thank You for Participating in Our 2nd Annual Women+Power Luncheon.

Thank you for joining us for our 2nd Annual Women+Power Luncheon featuring Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas and Lisa Baiton, President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), moderated by Jana Mosley, W+P Board Chair & President of ENMAX Power Corporation on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. 

It was a full house and an important & timely conversation about Alberta’s power & energy sectors. Stay tuned for details on our 2024 event, and please take 2 minutes and give us your feedback by clicking on the button below. 

Energizing The Industry. Capital Power recently expanded its Executive Team. Meet May Wong and Pauline McLean.

Capital Power recently expanded its Executive Team to support its journey to create clean, reliable, and affordable power generation across North America for communities to prosper and thrive. May Wong and Pauline McLean are two of the leading women now bringing their dynamic energy to Capital Power’s C-suite as the company powers towards net zero by 2045.

May Wong leads the development and execution of Capital Power’s corporate strategy and direction, including the long-term planning process, as Senior Vice President of Strategy, Planning & Sustainability. She’s built a reputation for excellence at Capital Power, with leadership roles in strategy, forecasting and sustainability.

With over 20 years of electricity industry experience, May is pivotal to the multi-national power producers’ decarbonization journey. She guides current and emerging technologies and assesses, explores, and develops other strategic growth initiatives that align with corporate goals.

As an acting member of the Energy Futures Lab’s Partners Council, May also shares her expertise to support the acceleration of Canada’s energy transition. As an advocate for women in energy, she proudly held a mentorship role with The Prosperity Project’s Rosie 1:1 Mentoring Program that focuses on educating, enabling, and empowering self-identifying women to advance in their careers.

As Senior Vice President of External Relations and Chief Legal Officer, Pauline McLean leads Capital Power’s legal, regulatory, corporate compliance, and external relations functions. Pauline’s team guides decisions, promotes ethics and accountability, cultivates relationships with government and industry decision-makers, fosters strong relationships within the company’s operating communities, and tells Capital Power’s story – and it’s an inspiring story to tell!

Before Capital Power, Pauline excelled for 14 years with the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), leading teams through the successful execution of greenfield initiatives, including programs to incent renewable electricity and new business models to procure and finance transmission infrastructure. Before joining the energy industry, Pauline practiced corporate and commercial law at a national firm.

Pauline is an outdoor enthusiast, former scientist, and active community member who contributes her time to the Nature Conservancy Canada and the Alberta Science Network boards.

Pauline and May’s leadership roles at Capital Power aren’t a rarity; 40% of its Board of Directors and 44% of its Executive Team are women. Capital Power is a proud advocate for workplace diversity and understands greater representation of women in energy and leadership helps power a sustainable future for people and planet.

Powering the Future

Laura Pysyk
Laura Pysyk

Powering the Future: Laura Pysyk

ATCO is at the forefront of the energy industry’s transition. The company is actively adapting their energy portfolio to meet the demands of a new and sustainable future while maintaining safety, reliability, and affordability for their customers. With a strong focus on cleaner fuels, renewable energy, energy infrastructure and storage, and energy efficiency, ATCO is paving the way for a greener tomorrow.

In line with their commitment to energy transition, we recently chatted with Laura Pysyk, Senior Engineer, Hydrogen Projects, ATCO Gas & Pipelines, about the work Laura and her team have been doing in the hydrogen space. Keep reading to see how their efforts are shaping the way for a sustainable future.

What are some of the most exciting projects or initiatives you’ve been involved in within the hydrogen space at ATCO?

My team is working to decarbonize the natural gas grid in Alberta to align with Canada’s net-zero by 2050 goals.  Making impactful changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for our customers is something that excites me every day!  

Our team has successfully transitioned 2,100 customers in Fort Saskatchewan to a 5 per cent hydrogen blended natural gas that will soon be increased to a 20 per cent hydrogen blend.  –Prior to this project we commissioned my Director and Vice President’s houses to run off of a temporary supply of hydrogen blended natural gas – effectively making their homes the first to receive these blend rates in North America! This allowed us to demonstrate to the public how safe and reliable a hydrogen blended natural gas fuel source can be, by using it on our own homes first. My team also commissioned the Edmonton Convention Centre to run off a 20 per cent hydrogen blended natural gas for the Canadian Hydrogen Convention this past spring – the first time the building had ever used hydrogen and the first conference in North America to be fueled by hydrogen.

Currently, we are working on commissioning North America’s first 100 per cent hydrogen building later this year, and a 100 per cent hydrogen home in 2024, along with a front-end engineering design for a 100% hydrogen community, a project to bring hydrogen blending to Edmonton, and the conversion of one of ATCO’s transmission assets to pure hydrogen. Our team is hard at work!

Laura Pysyk

What is your vision for the future of hydrogen and its potential impact on the power industry?

Hydrogen is the future.  For Canada to meet its net zero goals, especially in Alberta’s harsh climate, all energy sectors need to work collaboratively.  Coordinated efforts of gas and electric utilities will be required to maintain energy system resiliency and reliability, to reduce negative customer impacts, and to accelerate emission reductions.   The path to reach our climate targets, while maintaining a reliable, safe, and cost-effective energy system will include utilizing hydrogen, renewable natural gas, and green electricity to meet the energy needs of consumers.

What key milestones or experiences have shaped your professional development and career progression at ATCO?

Early on in my career, my supervisor told me it’s important to branch out of your comfort zone and try new things within the organization – this is something that I took to heart.  Although I have an engineering background and currently work in an engineering role, I spent a few years in the operational side of the business supervising a team of field employees. This was one of the greatest experiences of my career to date.  Not only was this group a ton of fun, but they also taught me so many important skills such as de-escalating situations with customers, how to hold each other accountable and, perhaps most importantly, how to build successful teams. I strive to apply these learnings every day.

I am a creative thinker and am known to apply out of the box solutions to everyday problems.  I will never forget talking to my manager and proposing to make his home the first in North America to run off a 20 per cent hydrogen blended natural gas. Giving me the flexibility and freedom to express and execute my ideas is not only important and impactful to me, but it also helped put ATCO on the map as a hydrogen leader.  

What message would you like to share with other women considering a career in engineering or in the hydrogen industry?

Go for it!  I would never be where I am today without my parents and support system constantly cheering me on.  Growing up, my parents told me if I worked hard nothing could stop me and those are words I live by every day.  Without that mantra instilled in me, there may have been times I would have chosen a different route along the way, but I am so happy with where I have ended up. 

Although as women, our paths may be more challenging than our counterparts, it makes our successes even sweeter.  I work alongside a powerhouse group of women who work to encourage and empower one another each day and I believe the diverse perspective we give our groups is a benefit to the organization. 

Watch the Replay: Pathways in Power — Discover How This Female Executive Navigated Her Career Journey in Alberta’s Power Industry

June 21 2023 event

Thank you for those who joined us on June 21 for this fascinating and enlightening conversation. And for those who missed it, you can watch the replay here! 

What does it take to make it to the upper echelons of executive roles in Alberta’s power industry?

Hard work, mentorship, ingenuity, grit, courage, community…

No two career journeys are the same, and there is much we can learn from this female executive who has made it to the top in her field.

Don’t miss this fascinating conversation with Nicole LeBlanc, Vice President, Markets, at the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO)  where Nicole will share her experiences and challenges and offer advice on how to successfully navigate your career path in the power industry.

“There is nothing like a concrete life plan to weigh you down. Because if you always have one eye on some future goal, you stop paying attention to the job at hand, miss opportunities that might arise, and stay fixedly on one path, even when a better, newer course might have opened up.” – Indra K. Nooyi    

Thank you to our event partner, AESO and AMP It Up!

Guest Speaker:

Nicole LeBlanc, Vice President, Markets at AESO

Nicole LeBlanc is Vice President, Markets for the Alberta Electric System Operator. She is responsible for leadership of the AESO’s market design and implementation, forecasting, market analytics, commercial procurement and the ISO Tariff.

Ms. LeBlanc has nearly 20 years of experience in the energy and electricity sectors. Through her career with the AESO she has been involved in forecasting, transmission planning, electricity market analysis and design, policy development, tariff design, regulatory and strategic business planning.

Since joining the AESO in 2006 she has played leadership roles in the development of scenario planning processes and the modelling and analytics foundations used within the AESO. She has contributed to numerous government policies, spearheaded market and tariff design files, and represented the AESO at regulatory proceedings in a forecasting, markets, tariff and transmission planning capacity. Her service to Alberta’s electricity sector was recently recognized by the Alberta government with the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.  Nicole is committed to making the AESO a great place to work – she’s fostered many new leaders on their development journeys and championed AESO’s first employee resource group whose vision is to amplify women’s career at the AESO through the power of connection.

Prior to joining the AESO, Ms. LeBlanc worked as an economist at the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI), where she focused on economic research and analysis of Alberta’s oilsands sector for client-funded projects.

Ms. LeBlanc holds a Masters of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics, both from the University of Calgary.

When taking a break from the interesting challenges of decarbonizing Alberta’s electricity system Nicole enjoys time outdoors with her husband biking, hiking and skiing and going to music concerts with friends.

Thank You for Joining Us for our 2nd Annual Member-Only Networking Event at the Rooftop YYC

News June 15
Event June 7

Thank you for joining us at our 2nd Annual Women+Power networking event on June 7, and, a very special thank you to this year’s event sponsor Enfinite!


What a turn out we had with close to 100 Women+Power members coming together in celebration. We hope you had an amazing time. You can check out photos from the event here. 

Send us your pictures from the event, or tag us on LinkedInInstagram or Twitter!

If you joined us, please take 2 minutes to fill out this survey. 

Pathways in Power — Discover How This Female Executive Navigated Her Career Journey in Alberta’s Power Industry

June 21 2023 event

June 21 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm MDT

June 21 2023 Event

What does it take to make it to the upper echelons of executive roles in Alberta’s power industry?

Hard work, mentorship, ingenuity, grit, courage, community…

No two career journeys are the same, and there is much we can learn from this female executive who has made it to the top in her field.

Don’t miss this fascinating conversation with Nicole LeBlanc, Vice President, Markets, at the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO)  where Nicole will share her experiences and challenges and offer advice on how to successfully navigate your career path in the power industry.

Do you have a question Nicole? Please email your questions to: events@womenpower.ca by Friday, June 16 and we’ll do our best to have your questions answered.

“There is nothing like a concrete life plan to weigh you down. Because if you always have one eye on some future goal, you stop paying attention to the job at hand, miss opportunities that might arise, and stay fixedly on one path, even when a better, newer course might have opened up.” – Indra K. Nooyi    

Thank you to our event partner, AESO and AMP It Up!

Guest Speaker:

Nicole LeBlanc, Vice President, Markets at AESO

Nicole LeBlanc is Vice President, Markets for the Alberta Electric System Operator. She is responsible for leadership of the AESO’s market design and implementation, forecasting, market analytics, commercial procurement and the ISO Tariff.

Ms. LeBlanc has nearly 20 years of experience in the energy and electricity sectors. Through her career with the AESO she has been involved in forecasting, transmission planning, electricity market analysis and design, policy development, tariff design, regulatory and strategic business planning.

Since joining the AESO in 2006 she has played leadership roles in the development of scenario planning processes and the modelling and analytics foundations used within the AESO. She has contributed to numerous government policies, spearheaded market and tariff design files, and represented the AESO at regulatory proceedings in a forecasting, markets, tariff and transmission planning capacity. Her service to Alberta’s electricity sector was recently recognized by the Alberta government with the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.  Nicole is committed to making the AESO a great place to work – she’s fostered many new leaders on their development journeys and championed AESO’s first employee resource group whose vision is to amplify women’s career at the AESO through the power of connection.

Prior to joining the AESO, Ms. LeBlanc worked as an economist at the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI), where she focused on economic research and analysis of Alberta’s oilsands sector for client-funded projects.

Ms. LeBlanc holds a Masters of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics, both from the University of Calgary.

When taking a break from the interesting challenges of decarbonizing Alberta’s electricity system Nicole enjoys time outdoors with her husband biking, hiking and skiing and going to music concerts with friends.

Free

Online

Register here

Sponsor Spotlight Series + Networking Reception presented by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Diversity Disclosure Practices – Diversity and Leadership at Canadian Public Companies

This is an in-person, member-only event. Not a member of Women+Power yet? Join us today!

Agenda:
Presentation/Q&A: 4 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Networking & Refreshments: 4:45 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Register Here

Osler’s Paula Olexiuk and John Valley will use Osler’s eighth annual diversity disclosure report as a springboard to discuss key data points and developments relating to the representation of women on boards and in senior management positions of Canadian companies.

“After eight years, the change to board composition in Canada is now obvious and widespread as Canadian boards have surpassed several important diversity milestones on their journey to include more diverse perspectives in decision-making at senior levels within the organization. There is still much work to be done to achieve board and executive leadership that reflects the mosaic of Canada.”

– 2022 Diversity Disclosure Practices report, Osler

Osler’s report provides detailed disclosure on the representation of women in senior leadership positions at TSX-listed companies as well as the representation of women, members of visible minorities, Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities at publicly-traded corporations governed by the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA). They also highlight disclosed best practices to improve diversity and inclusion and samples of excellence in disclosure.

A Q&A will follow the presentation and you will have the opportunity to ask questions that are relevant to the report methodology and findings, your industry, and your career. You are invited as a guest of Osler to join 75 of your fellow Women+Power members for a casual networking reception with food and refreshments.

Thank you to our Kilowatt Sponsor, Osler, for hosting this event.

Guest Speakers:

Paula Olexiuk | Partner, Energy & Construction at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Paula is a Partner in Osler’s Commercial Department specializing in energy and construction law and is Co-Chair of the firm’s Construction and Infrastructure practice group.

Paula’s practice focuses on the construction, development, acquisition and divestiture of energy and infrastructure projects in Canada and abroad, with a particular focus on renewable energy and energy transition projects. She has experience in oil, gas, oilsands, LNG, power and renewable energy transactions and project development and engineering, procurement and construction matters.

John M. Valley | Partner, Corporate and Chair of the ESG Practice at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP | 2022 Diversity Disclosure Practices report co-author

John practices corporate and securities law, with a particular emphasis on corporate governance (including ESG-related matters) and mergers and acquisitions.

He is the Chair of Osler’s ESG Practice, and a member of Osler’s cross-disciplinary Risk Management and Crisis Response practice. He regularly advises companies and boards of directors on a range of corporate governance and ESG-related matters, including with respect to directors’ duties, D&O indemnification and insurance, stakeholder disputes, climate-related disclosure, crisis response strategies and other governance matters. John is also a co-author of Osler’s 2022 Diversity Disclosure Practices – Diversity and Leadership at Canadian public companies.

Women+Power Networking Reception at IPPSA 2023

Women+Power is pleased to announce that we are hosting a Networking Reception on Day 1 of the IPPSA Conference at the Fairmont Banff Springs from March 12 – 14, 2023. Our reception will occur on Monday, March 13, 2023, from 5 to 6:30 pm in Mt. Stephen Hall.

This year, we proudly welcome Macquarie Group as the event sponsor.

Macquarie is a global financial services group with over 19,000 employees, operating in 34 markets. Macquarie’s purpose statement is to empower people to innovate and invest for a better future. “That’s why we ensure that our work has positive outcomes for our clients, teams, investors and the communities in which we live and work.”

Within Canada, Macquarie has completed over $33 billion of financing and M&A transactions since 2017, across power, resources and infrastructure. Macquarie supports 200+ natural gas clients, moving ~2.5bcf/d. Each year, Macquarie is consistently ranked among the top power and renewables advisors globally.

In no small part, this is a result of the value Macquarie places on developing and #empowering female talent within and outside of its organization. Macquarie shares the same vision as Women+Power and is proud to be part of a professional community in building a more diverse and inclusive future.

Women+Power looks forward to welcoming you to this event and we thank IPPSA for their support.

“It is a privilege to share company with the accomplished leaders and members of Women + Power. The success and influence of Women+Power within Canada is a reason to get excited for the future of power and energy markets. “

Matt Jenkins, CEO of Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd.

To learn more about Macquarie, click here.

Women+Power Networking Reception at IPPSA 2022

Women+Power is pleased to announce that we are hosting a Networking Reception on Day 1 of the IPPSA Conference at the Fairmont Banff Springs from November 13-15. Our reception will occur on November 14 from 4:45 – 6:15 pm in Mt. Stephen Hall. Appetizers and drinks will be provided. Please note that a conference pass is required to attend.

We thank IPPSA and Evan Bahry for their support of this event. This year, we proudly welcome Maskwa Environmental Consulting Ltd. and Maskwa High Voltage Ltd. as event sponsors. Maskwa became a Kilowatt sponsor of Women+Power in March 2022.

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Maskwa provides professional consulting services to power-sector clients in western Canada. The combined solutions offered by these organizations include regulatory strategy development and implementation, planning and permitting, environmental and GIS services, and comprehensive engineering services focused on the design and execution of high-voltage power and transmission projects.

While Maskwa has seen significant success and growth over the past few years, its leadership team is committed to ongoing improvement and exploring ways to create a corporate culture that fosters continued profitable growth. They acknowledge that this requires multiple initiatives versus any single initiative alone. However, one of the more salient, recent actions they have undertaken is to encourage diversity and inclusion in their workplace. One of the ways this is being done is by supporting Women+Power and our goal to empower women in the power industry to achieve their full professional and personal potential.

We recognize that the desire to have increased inclusivity and diversity in the workplace is not unique to Maskwa. We also believe that our commitment to this overall initiative, and the support of Women+Power, will at least contribute to the larger movement of driving transformational change to create a more diverse and inclusive power industry in Alberta. Success here will result in positive outcomes for our staff, overall company performance, and our industry.

Vice President, Maskwa

To learn more about Maskwa Environmental Consulting Ltd., click here.

Post-Event Summary: Behind the Doors of the AUC

Featuring Carolyn Dahl Rees, Chair of the AUC, and AUC Commissioners and staff

Thank you to everyone who attended our Educational Networking Event + Wine & Cheese, Behind the Doors of the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) Hearing Room, on September 28. The event provided a ’sneak peek’ into the hearing process and featured Carolyn Dahl Rees, Chair of the AUC, and AUC Commissioners and staff. The event was open to members only and sold out quickly. Participants enjoyed a networking session with presenters following the formal presentation.

W+P would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Commission Chair Carolyn Dahl Rees for making this event a reality, Laura-Marie Berg for moderating the discussion, and Commissioners Vera Slawinski, Renee Marx, Laura Fukuda, Salma Karim, and Kristi Sebalj for sharing about their experiences as Commissioners.

Here are some of the comments we received following the event:

It was interesting to see the different aspects of the hearing process. I particularly liked how the commissioners talked about authenticity in the hearings.

Great tips and tricks from the Commissioners about participating in a proceeding. I think my team members gained some comfort with the AUC process and space.

As a regulatory professional, it was very helpful to hear exactly what the Commissioners are looking for from applicants/interveners.

This event was fantastic! It was great to hear about some of the changes the AUC implemented to improve efficiency and some of the dos and donts during a hearing. Great insights on what makes for a more efficient and compelling case.

It was great to hear AUC Commissioners and staff speak candidly about the application and hearing process.

If you missed this Women+Power event, please consider becoming a member to receive invitations to our exclusive offerings (membership is free!).

Post-Event Summary: Women+Power Minister Luncheon

Featuring the Honourable Sonya Savage & the Honourable Whitney Issik

Thank you to everyone who joined us on October 4 at The Hudson for an exclusive luncheon with The Hon. Sonya Savage, Minister of Energy and The Hon. Whitney Issik, Minister of Environment and Parks.

We hosted approximately 300 attendees who listened intently to a discussion about the energy industry’s transition to net zero, and the valuable contribution women can make toward this goal and in the post-pandemic economic recovery. The event was emceed by Elaina Eifler, Chair of the Women+Power Events & Programs Committee and moderated by Sharleen Gatcha, Founder & CEO of Women+Power.

W+P would like to extend heartfelt thanks to both ministers for generously donating their time and sharing about the work of each ministry as it relates to the energy transition. Both of these women have moved into new roles following the recent appointment of Danielle Smith as Premier, and we wish them both tremendous success!

Here are some of the comments we received following the event:

There is a lot going on currently within the energy industry, and it’s good to see that impactful discussions are being had at all levels and not just on issues related to the environment.

The room was full of an incredible network of highly intelligent and successful women, which was amazing to see. That is a testament to Women+Power and the team running it.

The luncheon was a well-executed event at a fantastic venue. Both speakers were terrific, informative and highly engaging. I appreciated the comment about equity targets and the caution around setting targets without a strong plan to get there. Also tremendously informative to hear about the industry and the importance of energy security. Well done.

We need more of these types of events in the industry!

If you missed this Women+Power event, please consider becoming a member to receive invitations to our exclusive offerings (membership is free!).

A big thank you to The Hudson and Encore (AV team) for their work to ensure the event was a success and to our photographer, Fern & Pine Studios, for the outstanding photography! Finally, we thank our sponsors, partners and members for their continued support. We have more exciting things in the works for 2023. Stay tuned!

Osler Report: Diversity Among Directors & Executives in Canada’s Utilities & Pipelines industry

Osler

Executive search consultants say the No. 1 ask from boards recruiting new directors is CEO or CFO experience. In many sectors, where relatively few women attain CFO and, especially, CEO positions, this can hamper companies seeking to cultivate a diverse roster of directors.

But then there is St. John’s-based Fortis Inc. — a utility with $8.9 billion in revenue, $56 billion in assets and operations in five Canadian provinces, nine U.S. states and three countries in the Caribbean. Fortis has six women on its 12-member board. In addition to their diverse range of director experience, one is a former CEO, two are former CFOs, one is a former president, one is a former COO and the other is a former Chief Digital Officer. 

How did they get there? The short answer is that Fortis didn’t restrict its search to women from its own sector. It’s a practice that many diverse boards have applied — yet, at first glance, one that seems more widely embraced in utilities and pipelines, which leads all sectors both in terms of the percentage representation of women directors on boards and in executive officer positions in the C-suite.

Along with Fortis, for example, boards at companies like Enbridge, Emera, TransAlta, Hydro One and Capital Power all count four or five women directors — former CEOs, presidents, CFOs, managing directors, group heads and the like.

However, even in this sector, there are examples of boards with only one woman director or none. The results achieved by other companies in this sector suggests those boards either just aren’t trying hard enough or aren’t making diversity a priority.

Latest diversity data

As noted, overall sector data compiled for Osler’s 2021 Diversity Disclosure Practices report establishes utilities and pipelines as the industry to emulate. In terms of the percentage of women directors, it leads with a mid-year 2021 mark of 35%, compared to 22.1% for the entire group of 614 TSX-listed companies that disclosed. The average of 3.71 women directors per utilities and pipelines board is more than double the TSX-listed average of 1.83 (629 companies disclosed).

Breakdown of number and percentages of women directors in 2021

Breakdown of number and percentages of women directors in 2021

In terms of women executive officers at mid-year 2021, utilities and pipelines ranked first overall in the average number of female executive officers per company at 5.08, compared to 1.69 for all the TSX-listed firms in Osler’s report (575 companies disclosed). On a percentage basis, women made up 30% of executive officers in the sector as of mid-year 2021, leading the pack in first place. The average for all the TSX-listed companies reporting in this category (565 companies) was 18.2%.

Breakdown of number and percentages of women executive officers in 2021

Breakdown of number and percentages of women executive officers in 2021

Trends since 2015

This sector’s positive story is also reflected in gains for women since 2015, both on boards and in the C-suite. The percentage of women directors at mid-year 2021 was up by 75% (35% versus 20% in 2015). The average number of women directors per board increased at roughly the same rate (3.71 at mid-year 2021 versus 2.06 per board in 2015). The percentage of women executives in the utilities and pipelines sector also doubled, according to Osler’s data (30% as of mid-year 2021 versus 15% in 2015) while the number of women executive officers per company increased at a more modest but still significant rate (5.08 versus 3.0).

Women executive officers in the utilities and pipelines sector

Women executive officers in the utilities and pipelines sector

Similar data compiled by the Canadian Board Diversity Council (CBDC) [PDF], focusing exclusively on FP500 companies, shows a slower rate of change — at least among large utilities, which the CBDC measures separately rather than combined with pipelines. In that group, the percentage of women on boards grew from 27.1% in 2015 to 30.1% in 2018. The change was even more gradual for female executive officers (which the CBDC only started tabulating in 2016), going from 23.2% to 24.3% in 2018.

Best practices and sector leaders

The CBDC’s annual report card points to a couple of sector-wide trends that might help explain the relatively high rates of diversity in utilities and pipelines. According to that report, the utilities sector ranks first in the percentage of boards (55.6%) that have diversity targets for the number of women directors and second for boards that have a written diversity policy (66.7%).

Osler’s research has highlighted a pair of individual companies that have shown leadership in these specific areas.

Inter Pipeline Ltd.

In 2019, the corporation developed a diversity strategy with respect to the construction and operation of its Heartland Petrochemical Complex and also partnered with Women Building Futures. In 2019, Inter Pipeline invested $580,000 to support Women Building Futures in raising awareness and providing pre-apprenticeship training to women in Alberta’s Heartland area.

Inter Pipeline describes various initiatives intended to support its diversity strategy and commitment to advancing women and other individuals of different backgrounds at all levels of the organization. These include a formal internal networking group, formal leadership programs and its support of and partnership with Women Building Futures, an organization offering training for women looking to enter the construction, maintenance, transportation and home building industries. In 2020, the company established a Council for Diversity & Inclusion and introduced a mandatory unconscious bias training program for all employees.

Emera Incorporated

To foster a more equal, diverse and inclusive environment, Emera annually analyzes pay equity, including (a) a wage gap analysis to track progress and identify challenges by affiliate, (b) the exercise of selective pay increases if wage disparity exists and (c) annual monitoring of the rates of women in leadership and senior leadership roles. As part of the company’s governance practices, a minimum of 30% of the board must be comprised of women — a target the organization has surpassed for many years. Currently, four of the directors on the 12-member board are women, including the chair.

Global comparison

Periodically, international consulting firm EY publishes a Women in Power and Utilities index that tracks diversity at the top 200 global utilities by revenue. Based on that data, women are under-represented in this sector in all regions around the world. But there are some significant differences.

The percentage of non-executive women directors on power and utility boards in North America (25%) and Europe (26%) is high, but those figures dwarf percentages in Latin America and the Caribbean (7%); Africa and the Middle East (11%) and Asia-Pacific (13%).

North American utilities have the highest percentage of women in senior management (22%) according to EY, followed by those in Europe (15%), Latin America and the Caribbean (13%), Africa (9%) and Asia-Pacific (9%).

The uneven progress between regions, and at a remaining handful of companies in Canada, is a target for further improvement. But in this sector, unlike some others, leaders and role models are close at hand.

Click here to read the original report on Osler’s website.