Changing energy while advancing women’s careers

Careful planning and measurement are key to transformation

As Gayle Brim, a Managing Director within Grant Thornton’s Technology Transformation practice, pursues her passion of helping companies improve their operations and systems and also create meaningful change in the energy industry and beyond, she also has great interest in helping women and others from underrepresented groups succeed in the workplace.

Brim has seen significant progress in the diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts of the energy and industrial products industries during her career. She remembers feeling like an anomaly at times as a woman in practice during her first years serving these industries, but she sees more women and people from underrepresented groups in the industries now.

As a guest in a Women’s Energy Council podcast episode, Brim shared her knowledge on how energy companies can make meaningful progress in today’s business environment while also providing tips for women on how to advance in their careers. She said that as energy companies undergo transformation to improve their operations, technology and ESG metrics, they need to:

Build a transformation roadmap
Prioritize their needs with an understanding of what’s possible within the budget
Embark on both short- and long-term initiatives
Measure their progress

Brim said an intentional planning process also helps women achieve success in their careers. She said some women hope that they’ll get noticed by leadership and advance if they just perform well in their job. She said it’s a better strategy to create a career plan and share it with others. She encouraged women in the energy industry and beyond to: