SSEN Transmission has partnered with the Women’s Utilities Network (WUN) and the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) to open up new ways to connect women in the utilities and engineering sectors.
The partnerships, which will continue into 2026, aim to draw upon the work being done by both organisations – celebrating the achievements of women across the energy industry whilst recognising the importance of continuing to drive progress.
Improving gender diversity helps to build stronger teams, encourages innovation and creates a more equal future for everyone, SSEN added. The organisation will be investing at least £22 billion by 2031 to deliver new and upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure, across its operating area in the north of Scotland, to deliver on Scotland and the UK’s ambitious energy security and clean power targets.
To do that, the company said its rapid growth in employee numbers needs to continue, with the workforce already growing from around 400 staff in 2019, to over 2,200 employees today. Building the workforce in a way that delivers diversity, encourages collaboration and fosters innovation – all whilst encouraging women as they develop their careers – is crucial, it added.
Allie Walker, SSEN Transmission’s HR director, said, “As one of the leading transmission operators in Great Britain, at SSEN Transmission we are delighted to have partnered with both the Women’s Utilities Network and the Women’s Engineering Society to help identify new ways to connect women in our industry.
“Both organisations to great work for women in the utilities and engineering sectors, and as our workforce continues to grow, partnering to create more opportunities for women is a no-brainer.
“Here at SSEN Transmission, we’re making progress, but we’re not quite where we want to be yet when it comes to gender diversity. We’re committed to changing that and making careers in energy a path that is open and exciting for everyone, especially women.
“There’s still a lot to do, but we’re creating more opportunities for women in energy and partnerships like these with WUN and WES show that progress being made, which is really exciting to see and be a part of.”
Sharon Sage, WUN director, added, “I am delighted that SSEN Transmission is joining the Womens Utility Network as a partner. I look forward to working together to uphold and promote the core values of WUN and drive real action across the industry to achieve true equality and diversity, especially in the Utilities Sector. As a group, we recognize that change won’t happen unless we take action, and at WUN, we are passionate about building a community of women who can connect, support, develop, and encourage one another”
Tristan Holland, membership and partnership manager for WES, commented, “We are delighted to have SSEN Transmission as a partner of the Women’s Engineering Society, demonstrating their clear commitment to building a truly diverse and inclusive engineering workforce. At WES, our vision is to create an industry that reflects the full diversity of the society it serves—an essential step toward solving the most significant societal challenges of our time. Partnerships like this are vital in creating meaningful opportunities for women in engineering, enabling fulfilling careers, driving innovation, and fostering collaboration and positive change across the sector.”
