AWARDS FINALIST: Genesis Energy – Women in wholesale

A focus on well-being, belonging, and connection for women is paying off for Genesis Energy, with women advancing at an unprecedented rate through its wholesale division.

In the past two years, 38 per cent of the people hired for the firm's wholesale operations were women, and the number of women working in wholesale has increased from 15 per cent of the workforce to 21 per cent.

Genesis launched the Women in Wholesale initiative in 2024 with a goal of getting more women into male-dominated operational and technical areas, while also retaining, developing, and progressing those already in wholesale. The programme is a finalist in this year's New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards.

Chief operating officer Tracey Hickman says people with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and operations can have strong, long-term careers in areas like operations, engineering, environment, fuels procurement and asset management, development, and delivery.

Environment

"We recognised that attraction alone would not solve the challenge. To bring more women into wholesale, we first needed to improve the environment they were entering - one where women could see a future, belong, and progress," she said.

"The challenge was clear; around half of Genesis employees are women, but in 2024, only 15 per cent of our wholesale workforce were women.

"This sat well below the 36 per cent national average for STEM workers in the energy sector, and below the 47 per cent figure for Aotearoa's overall STEM workforce."

The gap reflected the day-to-day reality of women working in a highly male-dominated environment - being one of very few women on site, limited peer support, fewer visible role models, and practical barriers in plants where personal protection equipment, facilities, and ways of working were designed around men, she says.

"These factors affect attraction, retention, confidence, and progression."

The initiative has been designed and led by women working in frontline and technical roles, giving it credibility, relevance, and practical impact based on their lived experiences.

Leaders

Over the past two years, the firm has held two Women in Wholesale days in which board member Catherine Drayton and international leader Harold Hillman shared insights from their careers. There have also been workshops on issues like imposter syndrome and developing powerful negotiating skills.

Genesis invites young women from nearby secondary schools to visit its Huntly and Tokaanu power stations and is involved in the Girls in Hi-Vis events and has established a formal committee with representatives from the firm's highest leadership levels to make sure Women in Wholesale is embedded across the business unit.

Hickman says the results of the programme are now measurable. Not only are there more women working in wholesale, but last year they were promoted at more than twice the rate of men and made internal career moves at nearly three times the rate of men.

"We have women in roles that have either never been, or have infrequently been, held by women in our sector," she said.

"Alongside strong feedback and compelling case studies, this shows Women in Wholesale is helping build a more inclusive, more diverse, and more future-ready workforce."

The annual Energy Excellence Awards will be held in Wellington on 19 August. The Well-being award is sponsored by Ergo Consulting.