The Women in Energy Transformation Series

 

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NEW – The Women in Energy Transformation Series was made up of four national dialogues, featuring 20 speakers from across the country. Explore the series and learn more about barriers to gender equity and how to make the net-zero future one where all people in Canada have a chance to participate and lead.

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Explore the stories of some of Canada’s most inspiring climate leaders on Women in Energy Transformation’s new interactive digital platform.

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Women have been at the forefront of Canada’s energy system transformation for decades. As executives, educators, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and innovators dedicated to a sustainable future, they’re leading emissions reduction strategies, advocating for a just transition, inventing cutting-edge clean technology, and much more. 

The work of women in energy will be pivotal in fighting the greatest challenge of our time—the climate crisis. It’s time to hear their stories. The Pembina Institute and GLOBE Series have partnered to bring you the Women in Energy Transformation Series—a national dialogue that celebrates the women advancing Canada’s transition to a clean economy, and identifies opportunities for more women to get involved.

Towards an Equitable Net-Zero Future: Stories, Lessons Learned and Actions for Advancing Gender Equity

 

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Date: Friday, October 14, 2022 

Time: 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM PT / 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM ET 

Location: Virtual (Zoom) 

 

Join us for the fourth and final dialogue of the Women in Energy Transformation Series, brought to you in proud partnership by GLOBE Series and the Pembina Institute. In this final virtual installment where we focus on building a more equitable energy sector, you’ll hear women leaders from a diversity of backgrounds and industries reflect on success stories, learnings, barriers and enablers to gender equality in the transition to a net-zero economy. Together, we’ll also explore some of the findings from Pembina’s recent report “Equitable Net-zero: Recommendations for advancing gender equity in Alberta’s shift to net-zero.” And you’ll get to connect and network with the women leaders selected to be profiled on our interactive digital platform. You won’t want to miss this inspiring and highly engaging culminating session of the Women in Energy Transformation Series! 

 

Featured speakers:

  • Regional Chief Kluane Adamek, Assembly of First Nations Yukon Region
  • Meredith Adler, Executive Director, Student Energy 
  • Melody Lepine, Director of Government and Industry Relations, Mikisew Cree First Nation Government 
  • Jane McDonald, Senior Vice-President, Climate and Nature Solutions
  • (Moderator) Carolyn Kim, Senior Director, Communities & Decarbonization Group, Pembina Institute
  • (Moderator) Elizabeth Shirt, President, GLOBE Series

 

Sponsor Reflections:

  • Arlene Strom, Chief Sustainability Officer and General Counsel, Suncor
  • Kimberley Grant, Manager, Diversity, Inclusion and Talent Acquisition, Enbridge

Women in Energy Transformation Dialogue 3: Solutions, Career Pathways, and Intergenerational Networking

 

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Date: Thursday, Mar 31, 2022

Time: 1:15pm- 3:15pm PT

Location: In-Person, GLOBE Forum 2022

Indigenous women are among Canada’s most dedicated and influential climate leaders. Many have experienced firsthand the impacts of climate change on their communities and now advocate strongly for better inclusion of Indigenous voices in climate and energy decision-making.

The Women in Energy Transformation Series is pleased to host its first in-person dialogue, co-hosted with Indigenous Clean Energy. Participants will dive deep into the experiences of Indigenous women in Canada’s energy sector through stories and networking. The voices of Indigenous climate leaders will be the guiding force in this solutions-oriented discussion.  Be sure to attend to meet and connect with others who are passionate about ensuring an equitable clean energy future.

Featured speakers: 

  • Freddie Huppé Campbell, Global Hub Program Manager, Indigenous Clean Energy
  • Chief Sharleen Gale, Chief, Fort Nelson First Nation, and Chair, First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC)
  • Terri Lynn Morrison, Associate Executive Director, Indigenous Clean Energy
  • (Moderator) Linda Coady, Executive Director, Pembina Institute

This session will follow the GLOBE Forum Women’s Lunch and is only available to GLOBE Forum All Access pass holders.

 

Minding the Gap: Barriers and Key Themes in Equality and Inclusion

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Date: Wednesday, Nov 24, 2021

Time: 9:00am- 10:15am PT / 12:00pm-1:15pm ET

Location: Online – Attendance is complimentary

Building on the outcomes from the first dialogue, the second dialogue of the Women in Energy Transformation series will focus on key themes surrounding gender equity and inclusion emerging at COP26 and take a deeper dive into barriers for women in the energy sector as identified from the Pembina Institute’s recent report. Don’t miss this highly interactive session where we will explore these barriers as peers and begin to discuss ways to overcome them in our collective path towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in Canada by 2050.

This session will take place as part of Destination Net Zero: Nature and Bioeconomy Days and feature an opening plenary interview with Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change, Patricia Fuller, moderated by GLOBE Series’ Managing Director, Elizabeth Shirt.

Opening Plenary Interview:

  • Patricia Fuller, Ambassador for Climate Change, Government of Canada

Featured speakers include: 

  • Bipasha Baruah, Professor & Canada Research Chair in Global Women’s Issues, University of Western Ontario 
  • Luisa Da Silva, Executive Director, Iron & Earth 
  • Maryam Monsef, Canada’s Former Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development
  • Anna Stukas, VP Business Development, Carbon Engineering Ltd
  • Deanna Burgart, Senior Instructor, University of Calgary
  • (Moderator) Elizabeth Shirt, Managing Director, GLOBE Series

 

Five Barriers in Equality and Inclusion

Breakout Topics

 

Lack of access to opportunity 

There are many ways in which women do not have the same access to information and opportunities as men do in the energy industry. Women and girls are less likely to enroll in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education programs than men, often due to discouraging social norms and stereotypes – but STEM education degrees are required for many jobs in energy. As another example, women often do not have access to informal and predominantly male networks (e.g., email chains, clubs, happy hour networking) where opportunities are offered and exchanged. 

Lack of good jobs 

What defines a good job for a man and a woman are different.  Due to cultural norms and expectations, women often have domestic and social responsibilities that they balance with work, so many women prefer jobs that have flexible hours and a consistent location (i.e., part-time positions without travel requirements). However, these positions often lack important aspects that characterize a “good” job for anyone: opportunities for advancement, health benefits, and job security (during tight financial times, part-time employees are more likely to be laid off than full-time ones). 

Inability to advance 

Women struggle to work their way up the career ladder in the energy industry: as seniority level increases, the number of women decreases. Due to domestic and social responsibilities, women often have gaps in employment and occupy part-time positions, and these characteristics are often perceived negatively when individuals are considered for advancement (e.g., women can be perceived as not dedicated to their jobs). Women also have less access to informal networks and mentorship, where opportunities for advancement are often presented. 

Income gap 

Resource extraction industries like the oil and gas sector are among the greatest drivers of income inequality between men and women in Canada. The roles that women often occupy, in departments such as human resources, finance, and administration, are paid less than the technical and leadership roles men often occupy. These “feminized” jobs are under-valued, contributing to a big gap in pay between men and women in energy. There is also evidence that women are compensated less even when they occupy similar roles to men in the industry. 

Industry culture 

The fossil-fuels based energy industry in Canada was built during an era of a masculine, “frontier” culture that still persists today. Women, and especially Indigenous women, are more likely to be harassed and experience violence in the energy industry. There is evidence that these workplace cultures are spilling over not only into the communities around remote worksites, but also into the renewable energy industry as workers (and therefore norms) transition over from the fossil fuels industry. 

 

 

Profiling Women Leaders of the Energy Transformation

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Date: Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021

Time: 9:00am- 11:00am PT / 12:00pm-2:00pm ET

Location: Online – Attendance is complimentary

Full and equal participation of women in Canada’s energy systems is crucial to our nation’s fight against climate change. This first dialogue in the Women in Energy Transformation series brings together four women in a set of rapid-fire interviews exploring their energy transformation stories. Discover their contributions to drive change, learn about the barriers and opportunities they have experienced, and be part of the conversation about successfully achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in Canada by 2050.

Featured speakers include: 

  • Kehkashan Basu, Founder & President, Green Hope Foundation 
  • Jordyn Burnouf, Sr. Associate, Medicine Rope Strategies, and Member, Indigenous Clean Energy Advisory Council
  • Heather Campbell, Executive Director, Clean Technology, Alberta Innovates
  • Alexandra Tavasoli, CEO, The Solistra Corporation and Finalist, MaRS Discovery District’s Women In Cleantech Challenge

Special thank you to our Sponsors:

  • Michelle George, VP Engineering & Storage and Transmission Operations at Enbridge.  
  • Breanne Fox, Director of Commercial Management and Carbon Technology at Capital Power 
  • Rhona DelFrari, Chief Sustainability Officer & Senior Vice-President & Stakeholder Engagement at Cenovus 
  • Mollie Johnson, Assistant Deputy Minister, Low Carbon Energy, Natural Resources Canada 

Join us to celebrate the women who are advancing Canada’s transformation to a clean energy economy and have your voice heard via focused discussion groups and networking activities.

 

This Women in Energy Transformation dialogue is bullfrog-powered with 100% green electricity.

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About Pembina

The Pembina Institute is a national non-partisan think tank that advocates for strong, effective policies to support Canada’s clean energy transition. We employ multi-faceted and highly collaborative approaches to change. Producing credible, evidence-based research and analysis, we consult directly with organizations to design and implement clean energy solutions, and convene diverse sets of stakeholders to identify and move toward common solutions.

 

 

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About GLOBE Series

GLOBE Series convenes the innovators and changemakers who are accelerating the clean economy. For over 30 years, leaders and innovators from business, government, and civil society have come together through GLOBE Series to share knowledge, leverage opportunities and find solutions. Our vast networks and convening power enable us to connect the companies, thought leaders, clean technology innovators, NGOs, financiers, and senior policymakers who are changing the world. 

Our biennial signature events include GLOBE Forum (featuring the ever-popular Women’s Lunch) and GLOBE Capital (our marquee event for scaling the clean economy). To address the pressing need for accelerated action to achieve a net-zero future, we expanded our offerings in 2020 to include the Circular Economy Solutions Series, the Clean Recovery Breakthrough Series, and custom client events.