Gender & DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion)

In 2016, WPC Energy joined forces with BCG (Strategic Management Consulting | Boston Consulting Group) to produce the Untapped Reserves survey, the only recurring gender and DE&I survey in the energy industry. The survey assesses the current representation of women across the global energy sector to highlight areas of concern and identify and share best practices from the companies which are making the most progress in this area. Work will commence in early 2025 to start producing the fourth edition of the survey which will be released at the 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in April 2026.

In 2023, female employees only represented 23% of the global energy workforce, a rise of just 1% since WPC Energy and BCG started tracking this seven years earlier. In early 2024 the WPC Energy DE&I Taskforce was set up, the first ever formal group within our organisation to look at new ways to progress diversity within energy. Also sitting on this Taskforce are WPC Energy Canada, (WPC Energy Canada) who oversaw a very successful Women in Industry Programme at our last Congress in Calgary in 2023, iSAW (iSAW - International Strategic Accelerator for Women), a not for profit which empowers women through the use of collaboration and technology and LEWAS, (LEWAS - HOME 2024) an event and awards programme which recognises outstanding individuals working in the energy sector across the Middle East.

Women10x, the Taskforce’s first project, has the ambitious objective of building a global online community of HR, DE&I and Business Leaders to share ideas, strategies and best practices to progress gender equality and inspire change across the global energy sector.

Untapped Reserves

The third edition of the Untapped Reserves Survey, the only global, recurring DE&I Survey within the energy sector, jointly conducted with Boston Consulting Group, gives a detailed and updated picture of gender diversity within our sector, assesses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and highlights the actions which successful companies are taking in order to attract, retain and advance females within their organisations.

Women10x

Women10x will create the first global, gender focused digital ecosystem of its kind, housing a network of member companies, industry bodies and women’s organisations who will share knowledge, ideas, resources, and best practices. Unlike conventional women's empowerment initiatives, Women10x seeks to address the systemic barriers, workplace cultures, and systems that hinder participation and equity for women in the global energy sector.