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Leaving their mark: Women in Energy and Utilities

As one of the largest listed integrated utilities within the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, TAQA has long championed diversity across its multinational organisation. In fact, as part of its new ESG strategy unveiled towards the end of 2022, the Group outlined its goal of not only reinforcing equal opportunity but also its commitment to expand female representation in management positions to at least 30% by 2030. In addition, the last year has also seen the launch of the TAQA Women’s Council, which was established to support the career development of women in TAQA and beyond that into the power and water sector. With its mission to empower women and bolster female leadership across the organisation, the council is a robust platform that enables its members to regularly engage and discuss opportunities for professional development and personal growth.

As a Chairperson of the Women’s Council, Fatima AlShaygi, who also serves as TAQA’s Vice President of Asset Management for the UAE & GCC and sits on the boards of several Independent Water and Power Plant (IWPP) companies, holds over a decade of experience operating within the Middle East’s energy sector. Beginning her career with the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), AlShaygi’s long tenure in the field intersects with several key regional milestones, including overseeing the establishment of the UAE’s first Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) commercial pilot in partnership with ADNOC, as well as acting as the CFO for the first and largest Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power (CSP) project in the region for the Shams Power Company. Joining TAQA in 2021, AlShaygi shares that the decision to join the organisation provided her the opportunity to be actively involved in key decisions related to safeguarding the supply of water and clean energy in Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE. “Waking up every morning and thinking about how essential it is to provide homes, hospitals, and schools with the necessary water and power, while also ensuring our assets have minimal impact on the environment, continues to encourage me to excel in my role, each and every day,” says AlShaygi. When asked about the importance of women’s representation within the sector, she notes that in addition to complimenting essential skills, female leadership leaves an unmistakable positive mark. “It is evident that women in leadership roles can be just as effective in driving higher levels of efficiency across a business — their presence and contributions can greatly enhance and elevate an organisation’s performance,” shares AlShaygi. From her viewpoint, Abeer Al Nuaimi, a manager serving as part of TAQA’s Customer Excellence team and a Chairperson of the TAQA Women’s Council, being a contributing member of the energy and water industry provides a unique opportunity to support global efforts for innovation in sustainability.

Holding approximately 15 years of experience working in utilities, Al Nuaimi, who first began working in the sector as an electrical engineer, has achieved several milestones throughout her career, including being recognised at the Abu Dhabi Excellence Awards on two separate occasions. “Over the last few decades, female leaders within technical roles across the globe have evolved immensely, not just in terms of their expertise in technical operation management, but also in successfully driving techno-commercial sustainability and delivering unparalleled results. As such, we have seen a plethora of success stories highlighting the impact of female leadership in driving performance and serving as role models in Energy,” says Al Nuaimi.

A similar viewpoint is also shared by another leading TAQA personality, Hanan Al Hadhrami. Holding extensive experience in asset management and project finance field, driving innovation and sustainability practices, Al Hadhrami today serves as TAQA’s Vice President of Commercial and Capital Structure. Driven to realise the prospect of a sustainable future powered by clean energy, Al Hadhrami’s decade-long career within the region’s energy sector boasts a wide range of accomplishments, including leading the green bond refinancing for Noor Abu Dhabi, the largest solar PV plant in the world. “Women can play a crucial role in leading the energy sector by taking up leadership roles, as there is huge potential for women to participate and drive collective efforts towards a sustainable future, while also ensuring gender equality,” comments Al Hadhrami. “Gender equality is essential for promoting sustainability, driving innovation and growth, while also ensuring that everyone has access to the benefits of clean and stable energy services,” she adds.

In addition to delivering fresh perspectives and creative concepts to the table, the inclusion of women in leadership positions within the energy sector can aid in fostering a more collaborative and innovative industry, in a manner that reflects the needs and aspirations of a broader range of stakeholders, according to Al Hadhrami. As the first female HSE Engineer to work at the Al Ain Distribution Company, one of the operating companies overseeing transmission & distribution under TAQA, Maitha Al Shamsi holds a unique view into the impact of women within the technical fields. Currently serving as a Senior HSE Engineer in Assurance and Performance Management, Al Shamsi, who also holds the of Chair of Governance and Stakeholder management for the TAQA Youth Council, primarily supports the safe operation of Al Ain’s distribution network, ensuring the secure supply of power, potable, recycled, and irrigation water to both customers and the Emirate’s population. Contributing to the delivery of energy and water across an area encompassing nearly 13,500 square kilometres and supporting a community made up of more than 700,000 members, Al Shamsi is proud of her impact on the industry and the national sustainability effort. “I’m excited to be part of this technical industry that is committed to playing a vital role in realising the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 and driving sustainability efforts, which are providing clean power and water to the community that helps achieve sustainable and thriving living conditions, and brighter future all,” comments Al Shamsi. When asks about the impact of female leaders within the technical field, she shares that woman in the industry, “can lead to increased confidence among team members, improved collaboration, and cohesion, as well as an elevated state of collective intelligence within a group.”

Offering her insights on the impact of female representation in Water, Ines Strohschein, TAQA’s Vice President of Water Network Development & Investments, noted that while the participation of women can help realise enhanced levels of engagement, efficiency, and performance, a key obstacle remains that may limit their influence and full potential. “Women tend to bring a holistic view and a collaborative management style to the technical fields — their teams often score higher in efficiency and output. However, they are still a minority and therefore often struggle with open or subtle bias, which distracts them from achieving the best they could for their companies,” explains Strohschein. As a 20-year-plus industry veteran specialised in integrated water and waste watery utility management, Strohschein began her career as a manager for the water business-related subsidiaries of Germany’s Berlinwasser Holding Company. Rising the organisation’s ranks to become the Head of Asset Management with the Berlin Water Works’ engineering unit, Strohschein today holds extensive experience in operating networks, implementing asset management strategies, as well as overseeing stormwater and stakeholder management. This combined expertise and vast experience, in addition to her passion for delivering large-scale sustainable water solutions, has proved invaluable both in her current role at TAQA, as well as realising the vision of a sustainable future. “Water is essential for life on earth, including our human lives. With time, I realised more and more how important good infrastructure and clean water are to accommodate our [modern] lives. I cannot think of a better task to contribute my expertise and passion — providing clean water in a sustainable way that preserves the natural resources of this planet,” concludes Strohschein.