Camilla Foster, Veolia’s Strategy Manager for Industrial Water and Energy, highlights the importance of attracting female talent in the energy industry and the role they can play in the green transition.
The energy industry plays a huge role in every sector, both in the UK and worldwide. It’s the number one cost in the water industry, and local loops of sustainable energy are a critical part of every company’s drive for net zero.
There are an incredible number of opportunities for people to play a role in decarbonising energy as every country and every industry needs to transition to greener, cheaper, and more resilient energy sources.
According to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the UK energy industry supports around 734,000 jobs, with 166,400 people directly employed in the UK. In 2023, the entire energy sector supply chain contributed £150bn to the UK economy and since 2014, electricity has become the major energy contributor.
Looking at the 2022 statistics on employment in the energy sector, 43% of jobs were in electricity (including renewables), oil and gas extraction accounted for 25%, and gas accounted for 15%.
Women in the energy industry case study: Camilla Foster
My journey into the energy industry has not been your typical, linear career path and has involved many challenges and discoveries along the way. Over the last decade, the energy industry has evolved massively, with more drive for local, decarbonised solutions, new technologies and innovations, to name a few.
The potential for women to join the sector, and grow as the energy industry moves from strength to strength, will help address the need for diverse teams with new innovative ways of thinking. Veolia is regularly recruiting in areas such as engineering, technical and project management, which emphasises the projected growth of the industry.
Growing up, I always had a keen interest in how things worked, and I’ve always wanted to make a difference. I have been a Strategy Manager for over a year and half now but this wasn’t how I started out.
After graduating from the University of Central Lancashire, I moved into hazardous waste management to get my career rolling over 17 years ago. My first ever role was as a technical advisor, where I would classify hazardous waste streams and route their treatment/disposal. This was a great place to start, with an overview of our operations aligned with the customer interaction, to learn both the processes for effective Environmental management whilst understanding the customer challenges and needs.
After a period in hazardous sales, travelling around the UK, my energy career started, working closely with the Chief Operating Officer of Veolia’s Industrial, Water and Energy division. In this role, I have the privilege of working alongside some of the UK’s largest decarbonisation projects, such as the one at Eastbourne District and General Hospital.
To maintain patient treatment and care facilities hospitals require a secure and continuous supply of energy and to help decarbonise the hospital’s energy systems, a wide range of energy upgrades were set into motion, spanning from the introduction of solar arrays yielding 1.1MWp of renewable electricity to significant improvements in heating, and ventilation systems.
Additionally, a state-of-the-art dual-stage heat pump system was brought on board. On the infrastructural front, the hospital witnessed the addition of 17,300m2 of insulated roofing, the replacement of old single-glazed windows with an expansive 4,540m2 of high-efficiency double glazing, and the fitting of 12,972m2 of insulated cladding.
This groundbreaking project married technical teams, professionals and clients together to find the most effective solutions. By growing my network and learning from our people I have gained a knowledge base that I can now rely on for information and ideas. This gives me the ability to connect with key stakeholders to ensure the senior management team can function and deliver solutions with an impact.
Looking forward
The energy industry is so broad that you can’t always be the expert across each of the disciplines; it’s about having a network of experts at your disposal. With new legislation and increasing pressure on net zero targets, we need new experts and diverse teams, to find solutions for some of the most pressing challenges our sector faces.
I believe women can provide this new perspective and look at things strategically from different angles. As we all have similar skill sets, combining these dynamics can bring huge upside potential. The energy industry is no longer male-dominated, and we are constantly seeing influential, strong, and intelligent women joining the force, which is great for developing and combining ideas.
Clients are recognising they must do things differently and move away from traditional ideas where there is an expectation to no longer deliver basic services. New ways of working in energy are creating opportunities for fresh plans, which means we need people who can focus on sustainability and innovation.
I particularly enjoy working at Veolia as their strategies are aimed at preserving the environment, serving growing populations, and assisting customers to meet business demands in a more sustainable way. Veolia is also passionate about diversity and bringing together all creative minds to contribute to our wider goals. We need people coming out of learning now who are ready to start, whether that’s as an apprentice, graduate, intern or full-time employee. I’m always happy to be a mentor for anyone who is keen and motivated – my door is always open.
Today there are many new and interesting career opportunities in the energy sector that need filling including roles within engineering for energy and water, renewables and technical fields. The industry is looking for people who can excel in these jobs and bring their own new ideas and solutions.
Designers, developers, and planners also have opportunities to design the decentralised energy systems of the future and ensure we can make the necessary carbon reductions to protect the environment we all share.
Renewable energy is attracting more positive attention, which has created new opportunities across the sector. Electrical, mechanical, civil, and chemical engineers are needed to develop our future technology solutions, and there are excellent opportunities for women to get ahead of the curve and start now.
Considering a career in energy
The energy industry provides a fantastic green career opportunity to make a difference in a sustainable and growing sector. There are many new opportunities for ambitious women looking for a clear career path with prospects in a fast-moving industry.
If you have a desire to make a real difference and learn from experienced professionals around you, then a career in energy could be just the right fit, and there is no better time than now to start!
