POWERful Women appoints new Chair Monica Collings

Nick Wayth, CEO of the Energy Institute and Board Member of PfW said: “We are thrilled to welcome Monica Collings as the new Chair of POWERful Women. Monica brings a wealth of experience, having held CEO and board roles across major energy companies, and is widely recognised for her unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Monica's proven track record in championing gender equality, driving sustainability, and mentoring future leaders makes her the ideal person to guide us through POWERful Women’s pivotal next chapter. Monica’s passion will be invaluable as we work to achieve our goal of at least 40% female representation in UK energy sector leadership and middle management by 2030.

“I would also like to extend our sincere thanks to MWM Consulting for their expert support and guidance throughout the competitive search process. Their advice has been instrumental in helping us find the right leader to take POWERful Women forward.”

Monica Collings is the award-winning former Chief Executive of So Energy, at which time she was the sole female CEO of a domestic energy supplier. She is a well-known portfolio Chair, non-executive director and strategic advisor in the energy industry.

A long-time advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion and champion of POWERful Women’s mission, Monica previously sat on its Leaders Coalition, a group of energy company leaders who have made a public commitment to driving better gender diversity and inclusion in their companies and the sector.  

Monica Collings commented: “I am thrilled to be taking on the role of Chair at POWERful Women at such a pivotal time for both the energy transition and diversity in leadership. With just five years to go to 2030, achieving our 40% female representation target is more relevant than ever. I look forward to working alongside the Board, the team, POWERful Women’s Leaders Coalition and the entire network – from industry leaders to the incredible women driving change – to accelerate progress and make this ambition a reality.”

On 11 June, Monica will launch POWERful Women’s Annual State of the Nation, revealing the latest statistics on female representation in the UK energy sector and what needs to be delivered to close the gap to the 40% target.

Outgoing Chair Katie Jackson commented: “It has been a privilege to chair POWERful Women over the last three years, through two key milestones for the initiative: the launch of a more ambitious target for women in leadership and middle management in the UK energy sector; and its 10th anniversary, celebrating the tremendous progress that has been made by all the brilliant people involved, but also an opportunity to issue a call to action to go faster and do better.

“I believe that now, more than ever, we must all be vocal in championing the business case for better diversity, equity and inclusion and I know that Monica will be excellent in this role. I wish her every success and I hope she enjoys it as much as I have.”

Nick Wayth added: “On behalf of the Board and the entire POWERful Women network, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Katie Jackson for her outstanding leadership over the past three years. Katie has steered POWERful Women through significant milestones and her dedication and drive have inspired real progress. We are deeply grateful for her huge contribution to advancing gender diversity in the energy sector.”

Alongside MWM’s search process, the vacancy was openly advertised and the PfW Board was pleased to receive a high level of interest and a diverse set of excellent candidates.