The opportunities created by South Africa’s energy transition are being used by renewable-energy company Pele Energy Group to encourage the participation of women across technical, leadership and business roles. Women now account for 52.38% of the company’s workforce.

Pele head of people Melissa Wilkinson says the company’s approach to gender equality is guided by its belief that building South Africa’s energy future will need the best talent, regardless of gender, while creating opportunities for people to develop and succeed based on their skills and potential.

“The energy transition presents an opportunity to rethink not only how we generate energy but also who gets to shape that future. Creating opportunities for women is not a separate initiative; it is part of building a stronger, more innovative business.”

Wilkinson adds that the company’s values of impact, care and reliability support its commitment to creating opportunities, developing talent and helping women to progress into technical and leadership roles.

To build a pipeline of future talent, the company has introduced graduate programmes, internships and skills development initiatives to attract young women into technical and business careers while providing meaningful workplace experience.

Wilkinson identifies access to opportunity as one of the major barriers women face, saying talented women are sometimes overlooked for assignments and experiences that prepare employees for leadership positions.

“To address this, the company focuses on transparent talent processes, mentoring, sponsorship and creating opportunities for women to gain the experience and confidence needed for career progression.”

She notes that mentorship, sponsorship and allyship are embedded in the company's approach to employee development rather than being treated as standalone programmes.

“Mentorship helps people learn from experience, sponsorship creates visibility and opportunity, and allyship ensures that building an inclusive workplace is everyone's responsibility.”

The focus on career progression results from Pele’s acknowledgement that “representation is only one measure of progress”, hence its regularly assessing whether women are actually gaining technical experience, leading projects and progressing into more senior roles.

Further, while representation is not the primary objective, the visibility of women, especially in leadership positions, reinforces that opportunities are attainable.

Consequently, the company reports that women hold 44% of its senior- and middle-management positions, while women account for 62% of its graduate programme across technical and business disciplines.

Broader Outlook

Wilkinson says the country has made encouraging progress in acknowledging women's contributions across business and industry, with more women leading organisations, building businesses and driving innovation.

However, greater emphasis is needed in terms of encouraging girls to pursue mathematics, science and engineering from an early age to strengthen the pipeline of technical candidates and improve long-term representation in leadership positions.

Wilkinson adds that flexibility, where operationally possible, together with a workplace culture built on “trust, respect and wellbeing”, helps employees to balance professional and personal responsibilities while ensuring that caregiving responsibilities do not become barriers to career progression.

The energy transition is creating new opportunities across engineering, renewable energy, battery storage, digital technologies and infrastructure development, with women participating as engineers, technicians, scientists, entrepreneurs and business leaders.

She adds that realising these opportunities will require continued investment in education, skills development, mentorship and industry partnerships, as well as the fostering of environments where employees can contribute, grow and build meaningful careers.

“Ultimately, our success won't be measured only by the energy we generate or the infrastructure we develop. It will also be measured by the opportunities we create and the people we empower,” she concludes.