Men for Inclusion Champion Inclusive Culture at All-Energy Glasgow

I’ve just returned from an amazing week in Glasgow. What a fantastic city.

One theme kept coming up again and again in every conversation I had: How are the energy and construction sectors going to fill the skills gap without attracting, retaining, supporting and enabling diverse talent to thrive and succeed?

The answer I kept hearing was clear: Culture and inclusion are key.

One morning, I spent time with Wendy McFarlane from CPI EuroMix Mortars Ltd discussing a strategy for operational staff focused on ensuring everyone in the organisation feels Seen, Heard and Valued.

Later that day, I spoke at the All-Energy Exhibition and Conference about why inclusion, like safety, needs to be embedded into our DNA. Culture may start at the top – and it’s the unique part of DEI that leaders cannot delegate – but creating inclusive environments is ultimately everyone’s responsibility.

Thank you to everyone who attended the session and for the incredibly positive feedback. A number of people even suggested: “Next year, this needs to be on the main stage!” Thank you Stephanie Lainne Bendero and the team at RX Global for inviting me and for putting on such a great conference.

I also had the opportunity, in my role as ambassador, to spend time with the wonderful team at Women in New Energy by Energy Voice and catch up with Emma Lamont, Hayley McAdam, Deborah Bruce, Shehzad Khalid, Emily Tsang, Carole Bruce, Wesley Johnson And Erikka Askeland

The following day, I joined Chris Harte of Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP on the sofa at the Women in New Energy stand to discuss why culture and inclusive leadership matter so much. It was inspiring to hear Chris openly share his own journey, the barriers he faced and how those experiences helped develop such deep empathy and understanding of inclusive leadership. Really enjoyed meeting you, Chris.

Finally, I met up with Emma Philbin. We had connected on LinkedIn by chance a few weeks ago and agreed to grab a coffee. Emma shared her experiences of starting her career in frontline construction and the obstacles she faced – from finding PPE and site clothing that actually fitted, to hearing comments like: “Lassie, you shouldn’t be carrying that – it’s far too heavy for you.” From digging holes whilst pregnant to managing entire sites, Emma’s journey is extraordinary.

She’s now helping to drive cultural change and inclusivity across construction sites. Emma – your stories, your resilience and the way you tell them need to be shared far and wide. You’re amazing.

What a great week.