Beverley Smith, formerly VP of Exploration and Growth for BG Group, has been appointed as Director of POWERful Women

Beverley Smith, formerly VP of Exploration and Growth for BG Group, has been appointed as Director of POWERful Women. POWERful Women (PfW) is a professional initiative that exists to advance the leadership and development of women across the UK’s energy sector, celebrating the achievements of inspirational women, supporting and connecting women in their progression, providing practical tools and challenging and supporting energy companies in taking positive steps towards a balanced and diverse workforce.

Smith’s career has spanned more than 25 years and four continents with FTSE20 company BG Group, starting as an Exploration Geologist in 1990, with increasingly senior roles in Trinidad, Nigeria, Algeria and China, before being promoted to VP of Exploration and Growth for Europe in 2015. Her wide experience in the E&P industry combined with her career growth and personal skills in leadership, analytical thinking and problem-solving make her ideally suited to the role with PfW.

Smith says of the role: “I am delighted to be working with POWERful Women to encourage the participation of women in senior leadership roles within the energy sector. Historically this sector has under-performed in terms of gender-diversity and I look forward to playing a role in that changing.”

The energy sector is tackling a wide range of important issues – from keeping the lights on to helping consumers reduce energy waste and building a more sustainable low carbon future. Pfw believes that industry competitiveness relies on being able to attract and retain a diverse pool of talent capable of bringing fresh perspectives, and therefore that a much stronger female influence is needed at the top table. By bringing together a mix of industry, academic and political leaders – that span exploration, energy generation and supply, energy efficiency, technology, government and consumer issues – PfW works to support and encourage energy companies to appoint more women to senior roles as part of building stronger businesses and adapting to changing markets.

The POWERful Women initiative is supported by industry sponsors, including Dong Energy, EDF, SSE, PGS and Scottish Power. Their partners include BEIS, PWC and the Energy Institute.

Tags: POWERful Women