Hire Female Executives in the Energy Industry

Energy Is the One Sector Where the Rules Decide Where Your Candidates May Have Worked

In most industries, a board or an executive committee is free to appoint whoever it judges best. In energy, two further tests apply. European unbundling law restricts which career histories qualify for network leadership roles, because a person who has held responsibility inside a generation or supply business cannot simply move across to run the transmission or distribution arm of the same group. And at an Independent Transmission Operator, the national regulator is notified of every management appointment and can object to it.

The energy transition is redrawing the leadership map at the same time. Renewables and nuclear are adding senior roles and adding women faster than the sector average, while oil and gas leadership has stayed close to flat. A search that looks only at the operators your competitors have already hired from will miss the part of the sector where the talent pool is actually growing.

Energy leadership in 2026: the facts that shape a search

  • 18% of senior leadership roles in energy are held by women, up from 13% in 2015, still below the economy-wide average of 25% (International Energy Agency, World Energy Employment 2025, based on its Gender and Energy Data Explorer, 2024 data).
  • Progress differs sharply by subsector. The IEA reports particularly strong progress for women in renewables and nuclear since 2015, only marginal gains in oil and gas supply, and declines in coal (IEA, 2025). In renewables, women hold 32% of full-time jobs but only 19% of senior leadership positions (IRENA, 2025).
  • A regulator can block a network appointment. Under Article 48 of Directive (EU) 2019/944, appointments, renewals and terminations of Independent Transmission Operator management become binding only if the regulatory authority raises no objection within three weeks of notification.
  • Pay transparency arrives in 2027. Women in energy earn almost 15% less than men at the same skill levels (IEA analysis, 2022). Under Directive (EU) 2023/970, employers reporting a gap above 5% that they cannot justify must carry out a joint pay assessment with worker representatives. First reports are due in June 2027.

Female Executive Search searches for women in board, executive and senior management roles across the energy value chain, from upstream oil and gas to transmission system operators, renewables developers and nuclear. We work on a milestone-based fee and back every placement with a six-month replacement guarantee.

Explore the profiles of energy executives from our network below, or tell us what the role requires and we will come back with a shortlist.

Nathalie, Executive Consultant, France

Nathalie, Executive Consultant, France

Former Chief Compliance Officer of a CAC 40 listed company of the oil & gas sector /Certified Director (IFA)/ Founder of my consulting company since this year. I support companies in the design and implementation of their Ethics & Compliance program. Engaged and client oriented, I am recognized for my expertise, pragmatism and integrity.
Karin, Business Development Director, Sweden

Karin, Business Development Director, Sweden

Non-Executive Director, Director`s Certificate Market specialist with technical background ESG, safety and reducing carbon foot-print. Undertook market analysis and proposed 70million USD investment to change product line, successfully established new sales plan Negotiated 300million USD bond Raised 50million€ equity, advancing start-up project for +400million€ investment.
Alison, Executive Consultant, Canada

Alison, Executive Consultant, Canada

Experienced public sector CEO responsible for integrated public operations and policy planning on programs and projects related to infrastructure, health, education and transitional energy. Managed strategic public/private partnerships related to energy, healthcare and both public and energy infrastructure (pipelines).
Rikke, COO, Denmark

Rikke, COO, Denmark

International board member, COO and company builder with 30+ years of global leadership experience across shipping, offshore wind, renewable energy and technology. Former senior corporate executive, entrepreneur, investor and Non-Executive Director with extensive international experience.
Joanna, CEO, Poland

Joanna, CEO, Poland

Capital Market, Corporate Finance, Strategy Execution, Go-to-Market, Sustainable Finance, Institutional Investor Relations, and Corporate Foreign Affairs - trusted advisor and NED to boards and owners, an experienced mentor with a strong international capital markets background.
Isabelle, Business Unit Director, UK

Isabelle, Business Unit Director, UK

Accomplished leader, change influencer, strategy executor, and operations manager. English and French, bi-lingual, articulate, and experienced public speaker. 18 years of international experience including P&L responsibility - developing, directing, and delivering strategic portfolios across industries including Integrated Global Logistics and Energy. As Portfolio Manager of a global supply chain business oversaw US$10bn operations across EMEA.
Sandrine, COO, Switzerland

Sandrine, COO, Switzerland

Member of the Management Committee, Executive MBA, certified black belt Lean Six Sigma, driven by operational excellence, in-depth knowledge of industrial and supply chain processes, problem-solver in complex situations, performance improvement driver, at ease in international environments.
Anupama Koul, Business Unit Director, India

Anupama Koul, Business Unit Director, India

IICA Certified Independent Director and LEAN Six Sigma Advanced Certified C-Level executive with 26 years of demonstrated experience in P&L management, enterprise transformations, corporate leadership, and governance across Building & Industrial Automation, Power Transmission, EPC, and Electronics.

What the Rules Actually Require: Unbundling, Regulator Approval and the Transition

Unbundling restricts which careers qualify

European energy law separates the businesses that produce or sell energy from the networks that carry it. The consequence for hiring is direct. Under Directive (EU) 2019/944 for electricity and Directive (EU) 2024/1788 for gas, which recast and replaced the 2009 gas directive in June 2024, the management of a transmission or distribution system operator may not participate in the corporate structures of the vertically integrated undertaking responsible for generation or supply. Where a group has chosen full ownership unbundling, the same person may not sit on the managing boards of both sides.

For a search, that means a candidate's history has to be mapped against the target company's unbundling model before anyone is approached. A commercially outstanding executive from a supply business may be ineligible for the network role you are filling, and the point to establish that is at longlist stage, not at offer.

At an ITO, the regulator can object to the appointment

The Independent Transmission Operator model carries the strongest requirement. Article 48 of Directive (EU) 2019/944, headed "Independence of the staff and the management of the transmission system operator", provides that decisions on the appointment, renewal, conditions of employment and termination of ITO management are notified to the national regulatory authority, and become binding only if the regulator has raised no objection within three weeks of notification. The regulator may object where doubts arise as to the professional independence of a nominated person. The same logic runs through every sector where regulators vet individuals.

Two practical implications follow. The first is timing: a three-week notification window sits between the offer and the start date, and it needs to be in the hiring plan from the outset. The second is evidence: the file that goes to the regulator has to demonstrate professional independence, which is a documentation task, and one that is easier when the candidate's independence is clean rather than argued.

State shareholdings add a second approval layer

Across Europe, a significant share of transmission operators, national oil companies and large utilities are partly or wholly state-owned. Where the state is a shareholder, board appointments typically pass through a nomination process that runs alongside the company's own, and in several countries that process carries its own gender-balance expectations for public-interest entities. Confirming who actually approves the appointment, and on what criteria, is part of scoping the search.

The transition is where the pool is growing

The International Energy Agency records women at 18% of senior leadership roles across energy, up from 13% in 2015 but still behind the 25% economy-wide average. As in every sector we have analysed, the sector-level figure hides the useful detail: the IEA reports particularly strong progress in renewables and nuclear, only marginal gains in oil and gas supply, and declines in coal. Renewables has the deepest pool. Women hold 32% of full-time renewables jobs and 19% of senior leadership positions, according to IRENA's 2025 gender survey. Nuclear started from a much lower base, with women at 8% of senior management in the IEA's 2022 analysis, the lowest of any energy subsector at the time, so its recent progress matters more than its current level. Across the whole sector, women hold around one in five jobs and less than 5% of technical and vocational roles.

The hiring consequence is that the fastest-growing pools of senior female talent sit in renewables and, from a lower base, nuclear. An oil and gas operator that recruits only from other oil and gas operators is fishing in the slowest-growing part of the pool. A cross-subsector search widens it substantially, and the transition itself makes those candidates relevant, because the capabilities a diversifying energy business now needs, project finance for renewables, grid connection, regulatory affairs under a new framework, are concentrated exactly where the newer leadership talent sits.

How Female Executive Search helps

  • Eligibility screened before approach. We review each candidate's career history against the unbundling model you set out for us, so a longlist does not contain people who clearly cannot take the role, and your legal team confirms final eligibility before offer.
  • Regulator timeline built into the plan. For ITO appointments we work to the three-week Article 48 notification window and provide the documented career history your compliance team needs for the professional independence file.
  • Cross-subsector sourcing. We source across renewables, nuclear, grids and oil and gas rather than within one, which is where the growth in senior female talent has been.
  • State shareholder processes. Where a public shareholder approves appointments, we scope that route at the start rather than discovering it late.
  • Milestone-based fee, six-month replacement guarantee. Payment is tied to defined stages of the search, and every placement carries a six-month guarantee.

You may not be able to name your company yet. A search for new network leadership tells the market — and the regulator — that the unbundling structure or the management of the operator is about to change. And a first senior hire from renewables into an oil and gas business signals the direction of your capital before you have announced it. Our executive job posting service exists for exactly this: the role is published to our pool of vetted female executives without your company name attached, and your identity is disclosed to a candidate only at the point you decide to take her to interview. It is a lighter commitment than a retained mandate and a faster way to test the market — and our note on when to post a role anonymously and when to run a search sets out which of the two fits which situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a gender quota for energy company boards in Europe?

There is no energy-specific quota. Energy companies are covered by the general rules that apply to their size and listing status. Directive (EU) 2022/2381 requires large listed companies in the EU to reach 40% of non-executive director posts held by the under-represented sex, or 33% of all director posts, with national measures applying from 2026. National quota laws in France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Austria apply to energy companies that meet their thresholds, and several countries impose separate gender-balance expectations on state-owned enterprises, which covers a substantial part of the European energy sector.

What is unbundling and why does it affect executive recruitment?

Unbundling is the separation in European law between businesses that generate or supply energy and the networks that transmit or distribute it. Under Directive (EU) 2019/944 for electricity and Directive (EU) 2024/1788 for gas, the management of a transmission or distribution system operator may not participate in the corporate structures of the vertically integrated undertaking's generation or supply arms. Where ownership unbundling applies, the same person may not sit on both managing boards. In recruitment terms, a candidate's previous roles can make them ineligible for a network leadership position, so eligibility has to be checked before anyone is approached.

Can a regulator block the appointment of an energy executive?

At an Independent Transmission Operator, yes. Article 48 of Directive (EU) 2019/944 requires appointments, renewals, conditions of employment and terminations of ITO management to be notified to the national regulatory authority. The decision becomes binding only if the regulator raises no objection within three weeks of notification, and the regulator may object where doubts arise about the professional independence of the nominated person. Hiring plans for these roles need to allow for that window.

How many women hold senior leadership roles in the energy sector?

Women held 18% of senior leadership roles in energy in 2024, up from 13% in 2015, against an economy-wide average of 25%, according to the International Energy Agency's Gender and Energy Data Explorer. Progress varies by subsector: the IEA reports particularly strong gains in renewables and nuclear, only marginal gains in oil and gas supply, and declines in coal. In renewables, women hold 19% of senior leadership positions and 32% of full-time jobs, according to IRENA (2025). Across the energy workforce as a whole, women hold about one in five jobs.

Should we recruit energy executives from outside oil and gas?

For most searches, yes. The subsectors with the strongest recent growth in senior female talent are renewables and nuclear, and the capabilities a diversifying energy business needs, renewables project finance, grid connection, regulatory affairs under the recast directives, sit in the same place. Restricting a search to oil and gas operators narrows the pool to the part of the sector that has grown slowest.

When do pay transparency rules start to affect energy employers?

Directive (EU) 2023/970 requires the first employer gender pay gap reports in June 2027. Where a reported gap exceeds 5% and cannot be objectively justified, the employer must carry out a joint pay assessment with worker representatives. IEA analysis published in 2022 found that women in energy earn almost 15% less than men at the same skill levels, which suggests the 5% threshold will be a live issue for many energy employers. Transposition into national law is still incomplete across the EU, so the exact national rules are worth confirming for each country you employ in; this guide to publishing the pay range covers the recruitment side.

Can we search for an energy executive without naming our company?

Yes. Every role published through our executive job posting service is anonymous by default — candidates see the role, the sector, the scope and the location, but not your company name. Your identity is disclosed only when you decide to advance a candidate to interview. This matters where the search itself would signal a strategic move, such as a change in network leadership or a first appointment that reveals a shift toward renewables.

How does Female Executive Search work with energy companies?

We screen candidate histories against your unbundling model before any approach, build the Article 48 notification window into the hiring plan for ITO roles and supply the career documentation the independence file requires, source across renewables, nuclear, grids and oil and gas rather than within a single subsector, and scope state shareholder approval routes at the start of the search. We work on a milestone-based fee and back every placement with a six-month replacement guarantee.

Sources: International Energy Agency, World Energy Employment 2025 (2024 data); International Energy Agency, Gender and Energy Data Explorer (2025); International Energy Agency, World Energy Employment 2022 and Understanding Gender Gaps in the Energy Sector (2022); IRENA, Renewable Energy: A Gender Perspective, second edition (October 2025); Directive (EU) 2019/944 on common rules for the internal market for electricity, Article 48; Directive (EU) 2024/1788 on common rules for the internal markets for renewable gas, natural gas and hydrogen (recasting and repealing Directive 2009/73/EC); Directive (EU) 2022/2381 on improving the gender balance among directors of listed companies; Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency. Last verified September 2026.

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