News: Profile
Pride and prejudice
With all installation sectors traditionally suffering from huge gender imbalances,
REI asked Zenex Solar’s Liz MacFarlane to investigate how welcoming the world
of renewables is to women
eing asked to
write about life as
a woman in the
world of renewable
technology couldn’t have come
at a more appropriate time. As
I write, there is a debate raging
in our office about whether we
should employ glamorous agency
models to drum up support
among the audience at EcoBuild.
You can imagine how we are
divided. Thank heavens Zenex’s
workforce is over half female. The
ceo, who is also my older brother,
has wisely chosen to stay out of
the discussion. He does however
have a habit of occasionally
calling me ‘good girl’ which can
be slightly embarrassing. It’s
probably a clever ploy on his
part to make me all the more
determined and to prove my
worth.
Recent articles by other
women in industry have
painted a picture of antiquated
discrimination. Until today’s
debate, I can’t say I’d really faced
B
it, but maybe I’m an exception.
I went to an all-boys school as it
turned co-ed, so just to be sure I
hadn’t been desensitised by that
experience, I decided to approach
some other female figures. I’m so
glad I did. It was fascinating.
We all had a few things in
common such as backgrounds
in typically masculine industries.
For example, Alison Finch,
chairperson of So Gecko and
executive committee member
at the BPVA, was managing 50
men on night shift in a pet food
factory at the age of 24. Louise
Bishop, marketing manager with
Krannich Solar cut her teeth
in the motor trade where she
faced archaic male attitudes
on a daily basis; and at the age
of 24 I was selling drugs for
erectile dysfunction to urology
consultants and giggling male
GPs.
All the women I spoke to are high
achievers with more than a few
successful plates spinning.
Phyllis Prior Boardman, chief
executive of Green Deal Consortia
has just received a British
Empire Medal in the New Year’s
Honours list for services to energy
efficiency and her story should
give confidence to any woman
facing barriers.
“I am constantly
encouraging friends and others
into this industry if I feel they
too can make a real change,”
she said. “I tell them of the
opportunities ahead, the chance
to create and expand, provide
training opportunities for our
young people and above all, give
hope to many out of work.
“We have to showcase role
models so others will follow. I am
very keen to do this and make it
happen for many other women,”
she added.
Krannich Solar’s Louise
Bishop felt that the gender
imbalance is much less marked
in the distribution sector of the
industry than in installation.
She said: “With many colleges
and other training providers now
offering renewables courses,
I would hope that there will
become a more balanced male-
to-female ratio among those
entering the industry.”
Finally, I asked each of my
industry peers what they’d say to
a friend considering entering the
industry. Alison Finch of So Gecko
summed up: “Personally, my love
for the industry grows with each
passing month. It’s a relatively
new industry but one that is
here to stay due to the growing
requirement for sustainable
energy sources.
“The industry is small
enough to get to know who is
who and it is packed full with
decent, sophisticated, intelligent
and innovative people who share
a common aim. I feel part of
something special.”
And our office debate about
the Zenex promo models? You’ll
have to come and see us at
Ecobuild to find out who won
that one.
Changing times: Operating in a traditionally male-
dominated industry, the majority of Zenex Solar’s senior
roles are filled by women including (L-R) Zara Thorn
(South West account manager), Liz MacFarlane (sales
director), and Cath Lister (sales support manager)
www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk | 11