The energy industry needs to learn to accommodate more women in its ranks if it wants to secure its growth into the future, a leading female offshore director has warned.
Susan Elston, vice-president for operations excellence at Sodexo said while the role of women in the UK oil and gas sector has changed over the years, it still lacked flexibility in addressing the needs of its female workforce.
“For the business to survive it’s likely it needs to change,” Elston told Energy Voice.
“When we are coping with a change that’s quick we need more collaboration and inclusion and I think a female style of leadership is something that is going to help organisations to change and to sustain into the future.”
Sodexo is looking to grow the number of women in the global senior leadership level to 25% by 2015, representing the top 300 people within the organisation, Elston said.
“I believe it is important to have targets at the beginning because, as we know, what gets measured will get done – but we are recognising that in order to grow beyond that 25% target and even to aim towards a 50% target in years to come we have to be far more proactive and understanding in the needs of the workforce,” she added.
Watch our interview with Susan Elston ahead of the International Women’s Day on March 8.
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