Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025

To mark International Women’s Day 2025, we’re reflecting on and celebrating the significant strides women are making in shaping the future of energy. This collection of profiles features women who are driving innovation and progress with their diverse skills and expertise. They share their journeys, insights, and advice for those looking to build a career in this dynamic sector. By sharing these stories, we aim to inspire dialogue, foster collaboration, and illuminate the vast opportunities available for women in the energy industry.

Jenny Gannon, Manager Standards Strategy, Energy Queensland

What do you do, and what do you most enjoy about this role?

In my current role, I am at the forefront of shaping the future energy grid. I create roadmaps and innovative strategies for connection, distributed energy, and distribution network equipment, all while driving our mission towards net zero targets. I thrive on the challenge of managing supply chain risks in a global market and ensuring our standards adequately manage emerging opportunities and risks.

Every day, I actively contribute to the development and implementation of standards and build strategic partnerships with key stakeholders. I provide invaluable strategic support to our dedicated standards team and proudly represent our organisation on national and international committees.

What truly excites me about my role are the opportunities to collaborate with incredibly talented and inspirational people, and the ability to share knowledge in impactful ways with customers, staff, and the industry.

What led you to a career in energy?

My journey in energy began over 20 years ago when I undertook my vacation placement work with Ergon Energy after specialising in power engineering at university. I applied for the graduate program with Ergon Energy and it has been an incredible adventure ever since.

Throughout my career with Energy Queensland, I have embraced a multitude of roles, each offering a diverse array of opportunities and experiences. I’ve had the privilege of working with a wide range of cutting-edge distribution and generation technologies. My involvement has spanned from research and trials to deployments and innovative activities, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the energy sector.

Every day brings new challenges and exciting developments, making my journey in the energy industry an endlessly rewarding experience.

What advice do you have for women already in, or looking to enter the energy sector?

The energy sector offers incredible opportunities for women ready to thrive. Stay open to continuous learning and adapting, as the industry is always evolving. We’ve made great progress in energy transition and renewable integration, but reaching net zero is still a challenge. Embrace change and don’t be afraid to step up and take on big challenges to succeed in this dynamic field. Your resilience and adaptability will make a significant impact.

In what ways can the energy industry continue to improve its efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable environment for women?

The industry should spotlight and celebrate areas where it has already made strides in improving inclusion and equity. Embracing inclusivity and equity is a powerful, everyday commitment that everyone should champion. It’s not just someone else’s responsibility, and it’s far from impossible – we need to shift the narrative and drive meaningful change together.

Zahra Jabiri, Head of Regulation & Investment Assurance, Western Power

What do you do, and what do you most enjoy about this role? 

As the Head of Regulation and Investment Assurance at Western Power, I lead a team dedicated to enabling regulatory changes, access arrangement development, and investment assurance. We build, maintain, and operate the Transmission & Distribution electricity network in the South West region of Western Australia. Our community is our key beneficiary, and we focus on providing reliable supply, keeping costs low, and enabling decarbonisation.

The energy sector is incredibly exciting, especially with evolving electricity demand, customer choices, green technologies, and decarbonisation. We are at the cusp of a transformative shift in electricity use, and being part of this journey with our people, industry, government, and community is immensely rewarding.

What led you to a career in energy? 

I began my career in the sector as a graduate engineer with a passion for asset-intensive or infrastructure organisations. My career has steadily grown, deepening my understanding of the energy sector, its value proposition, and the community we serve. The diversity of essential services that the sector provides,  and the wide range of customers and stakeholders have always fascinated and intellectually challenged me.

What advice do you have for women already in, or looking to enter the energy sector? 

Over the past 20 years, I have seen more and more women contributing to the energy sector in various roles. The sector offers a balanced mix of social, technical, and commercial aspects, allowing women the opportunity to pursue their passion.

For women in our sector, my advice is to understand yourself, know what you want, and build a strong support network. Learning from the experiences of other female leaders can be invaluable – and something I do regularly.

For those looking to join the sector, I encourage you to truly experience it. Working in our sector is greatly rewarding because it has a wide-reaching positive impact on the community, fosters innovation, and you get to see the impact of your contributions first-hand.

In what ways can the energy industry continue to improve its efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable environment for women? 

We all know that the energy sector has evolved in a male-dominated world, but significant efforts have been made in the past decade to increase awareness and inclusivity.

This year’s theme, ” Let’s March Forward,” continue the call for strategies, resources, and activities that empower women. The theme highlights the importance of investing in women. Sharing knowledge, encouragement, and celebrating women’s successes is key.

In my view organisations should focus on:

• Recruiting, retaining, and developing diverse talent
• Providing women with access to structured, quality education and training along with access to scholarships and study assistance
• Sponsoring and supporting women into leadership and decision-making roles; including opportunities for internship or secondment to higher duties to help building on potential
• Designing and building infrastructure that meets the needs of women and girls
• Fostering a culture of respect and gender equality to promote a greater uptake and retention of females

I believe there is a significant opportunity for the organisations to share and learn from different approaches, monitor the pace of their progress, and collectively pave the way forward. 

Jessica Morris, Chief Customer & Strategy Officer, SA Power Networks

What do you do, and what do you most enjoy about this role?

I am very fortunate to work with a talented team that has responsibility for delivering great service to our customers, as well as guiding our business’ future direction and strategy. It’s in the title, really 😉 Undoubtedly the best parts of my job are working with such a great group of clever and innovative people who are deeply passionate about the work we do and the service we provide our customers. I also love the diversity of my role – from spending time in the field through to attending large scale energy sector events and everything in between – there’s never a dull moment. I love that every day is different with new challenges to work through and opportunities to pursue, and I would like to think that the decisions we make everyday have a genuinely positive impact on our customers’ lives. There are not many jobs that enable you to have that sort of impact. I consider myself very fortunate.

What led you to a career in energy?

I stumbled into it, really. I joined ETSA in late 2008 (before we rebranded to SA Power Networks) because I wanted to work for a large South Australian business that had a footprint across the State and would provide interesting, meaningful work. I wasn’t particularly excited about working in the energy sector at that time; it was more about the size of the business and the opportunities that presented. I quickly realised that the energy industry was a fascinating place to work, and was (still is!) undergoing significant transformation. At one of my very first ENA events a guest speaker spoke about the disruption happening across the sector – decentralisation, decarbonisation, digitalisation and democratisation – and I decided right there that a career in energy would give me an opportunity to make a difference as we navigate some of the complexities of the transition. I have not been disappointed so far!

What advice do you have for women already in, or looking to enter the energy sector?

It’s a great sector to work in – evolving and dynamic with plenty of opportunities. There is also a lot of space for more of the qualities and attributes that are traditionally associated with women – such as good communication, relationship-building, empathy, emotional intelligence – to make the sector an even better place to work and deliver even better outcomes for customers. Don’t be afraid to lean into and leverage those skills – all the research and evidence shows that those are the qualities of good leadership and those skills contribute to the delivery of great outcomes. The sector could use more of these!

In what ways can the energy industry continue to improve its efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable environment for women?

I think there is an opportunity for women at every level and in every part of the industry to take the lead on this. Champion each other, support each other, and actively look for opportunities to collaborate together to achieve good outcomes. Don’t be competitive or nasty – sometimes women can be our own worst enemies and that should absolutely not be the case! Industry leaders also have a very important role to play in ensuring our organisations have the right policies and inclusive cultures and work environments that allow women to thrive and succeed. This is something I feel very passionately about and am fortunate to have a (male) boss who also champions this.

Emma Shanks, General Manager Corporate Affairs and Strategy, Energy Networks Australia

What do you do, and what do you most enjoy about this role? 

I’m the General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Strategy at Energy Networks Australia (ENA). What I enjoy most about my role is working alongside incredibly committed, passionate, and innovative individuals—both within the ENA team and across our member organisations. The Australian energy sector is a dynamic space, full of talent and dedication, especially as we navigate the transition to a more sustainable energy system. The opportunity to collaborate with leaders on the critical issues facing the sector, including the increasing role of women in energy innovation, is something I find exciting and inspiring. 

What led you to a career in energy? 

After years of working in state and local infrastructure, I saw the energy sector, particularly energy networks, as an exciting area where I could contribute to meaningful change and tackle new challenges. The energy transition presents unique opportunities to reshape our economy and address issues like sustainability, resilience, and technology. I believe that there’s a real opportunity to influence the future of Australia’s energy landscape, especially in terms of inclusivity and diversity, which led me to jump at the change.  

What advice do you have for women already in, or looking to enter the energy sector? 

The energy sector offers vast opportunities across a wide range of professions, from engineering and technology to policy and communications. Although the sector hasn’t always done a great job of showcasing these opportunities for women, there is a clear drive towards change. My advice for women considering a career in energy is to embrace the challenge, take on an opportunity to grow and always have your voice heard. As we move towards a more sustainable and innovative energy future, having diverse voices at the decision table is critical. Women bring unique perspectives that are essential for driving real change and innovation. IWD 2025’s theme of ‘march forward’ is especially relevant in the energy sector, where forward momentum is crucial and women are playing a vital role in shaping the future. 

In what ways can the energy industry continue to improve its efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable environment for women? 

There’s no doubt the energy sector has made significant strides, but there’s always more work to do. One key area for improvement is better showcasing the sector to young women as a viable career path. By breaking down outdated stereotypes that energy is a male-dominated field, we can help empower the next generation of women leaders. Encouraging young women to explore roles in engineering, technology, policy, and leadership is essential to ensure that we build an inclusive energy future. As we celebrate IWD, it’s an opportunity to reflect on how accelerating action for gender equality can help create a more diverse and inclusive energy sector, one where we continue to strive for all voices have an equal opportunity to lead and innovate.