International Women's Day - Women working in Renewable Energy

There are many different routes into working in renewable energy, here are three examples of women in the sector who have used their skills to help make the world a greener place.

Clare Corkill, Operations Manager, UK West joined Ørsted in June 2019, with nearly a decade’s worth of industry experience.

Clare’s story is a great example of transferable skills. Clare having worked in children’s social services for 17 years, she worked her way up to management in various roles, but when funding to services started to get cut and work stress and demand increased, she took redundancy. Clare wanted something new to gain a better work life balance as she felt she was neglecting her own family while trying to take care of others.

Clare said: “Despite having never worked in the energy sector and not having a background in engineering, I was offered a job as Site Planner due to my transferable skills and experience in project and people management. Over six years I worked hard to understand the industry and learn everything I needed to about wind turbines, working my way up to Shift Manager, then Site Manager, before eventually transferring over to Ørsted in 2019 as an Operations Manager.”

Clare’s daughters are her biggest motivation. Her eldest daughter is an Electrical Commissioning Engineer, her second daughter is in her first year of an Electrical Apprenticeship, and her stepdaughter has also taken engineering subjects at school. Clare commented: “I’d like to think I’ve inspired them, but they’re also an inspiration to me. It makes me so proud to see them starting out in their careers, working hard, and smashing through glass ceilings in male dominated industries.”

Leah Clough joined Ørsted as a Wind Turbine Technician Apprentice four and a half years ago and is now a fully qualified Wind Turbine Technician 3.

Leah grew up on a farm, so has always known she wanted a hands-on job. When she joined Ørsted she was the first female technician in UK West. Leah commented, “Despite it being a male dominated industry, the lads have never made me feel like an outsider. They recognise that I bring something different to the table. I've got smaller hands than them, which can help when it comes to getting into a tight spot to loosen a bolt, or I might look at a wiring diagram differently and offer alternative suggestions.”.

Ørsted has meant that Leah has not only achieved amazing milestones within the industry, but career has enabled her to buy her dream house at the age of 23. Leah wants more young people to see the amazing work that’s happening in her local area and is heavily involved in the STEM work and often attends school talks and careers fairs when off shift.

Leah said: “Anything I can do to encourage women and girls to get into engineering, I will. When I think back to my school days, I don't remember being taught about any female role models in engineering. By the time women start looking for their first professional job, it's too late. I want to see more encouragement at school, tell kids they can be smart and still have a 'hands on' job or get a trade behind them, university doesn't equal success.”

Annaliese Russell, Warehouse Team Lead, has worked for Ørsted for three and a half years.

Annaliese worked along Ørsted for two years on West of Duddon Sands and Walney 4 wind farms. After only working on the site for a couple of months, she knew the wind industry was for her and saw it as an opportunity to plan her future around. She spent that time mastering the role and learning as much as she could. Using her background in coordinating and planning she jumped at an opportunity as soon as it arose and joined Ørsted in 2019 as the 1000^th employee of Ørsted UK.

Annaliese said: “There have been many opportunities arise for me during my short time with Ørsted. I started as a Planner, was seconded as a Team Lead, and moved into my current role as Warehouse Team Lead within two years. I am the first female lead in the Warehouse for Ørsted, and have since taken on more female staff. I’ve also supported on countless interview panels, from planning, offshore coordination and even the technician pool, bringing new talent into the region.  I feel a more diverse environment would give us new perspective, ideas and drive.”

There is nothing more powerful than women determined to rise!