If Safety Is in Our DNA, Why Isn’t Inclusion? A Wake-Up Call for the Energy Sector

Before entering most energy sites, individuals receive instructions on parking, walking and climbing stairs, emphasizing that safety is non-negotiable. Employees and visitors are empowered to identify hazards and hazardous behavior.

This leads to an important question I will pose at International Energy Week 2026 :

If safety is in our DNA, why isn’t inclusion?

We are facing the largest workforce challenge in our sector’s history, requiring hundreds of thousands of new roles to achieve the energy transition. However, underrepresented groups, particularly women are leaving the sector in high numbers.

This is not due to a lack of capability, but rather because our cultures have not evolved.

Cupcakes, Employee Resource Groups and voluntary allyship will not resolve systemic issues. Safety improved when leaders took ownership of the problem and made it measurable, visible and embedded.

Inclusion requires the same level of commitment.

To attract the talent necessary for achieving Net Zero, this is a crucial wake-up call to embed inclusion in our DNA and make it everyone’s responsibility, including leaders.

IE Week bookings: https://www.ieweek.co.uk/