WRISE - An interview with Georgia Nixon
We caught up with Georgia Nixon, Associate Director in our New York office who recently hosted a networking event in collaboration with Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE).
What is WRISE?
WRISE stands for ‘Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy’ We have historically partnered with WRISE out of our Denver office on several different events, but this was our first collaboration with them in New York! We hosted a networking evening with a panel of talented inspirational Energy Finance women, drank wine and ate canapes with a view of the New York skyline.
How is SO leading on equality within the industry?
We wanted to target this event specifically around Energy Financing in New York which can be an extremely male dominated industry. Many of our clients are dedicated to driving diversity into their teams and this is an area we excel in. We specifically ensure that any shortlist we present, represents the best of all ethnicities and genders.
What did you learn from the recent event?
The panel was fascinating, hosted by the talented Danielle Hughes. One of the highlights for me was the topic of the new administration and how that will impact the clean energy industry in the US. Our panel spoke specifically about how most of the impact on renewable energy projects is at the state level vs. the federal level and how there is still a huge commitment to develop clean energy projects in the US. It was really reassuring for the audience, particularly a few of our candidates at offer stage about to make a move to a new organisation.
What can women do to excel in a male dominated industry?
One of the highlights for me from Katie Treuer was around finding both a mentor and a sponsor within your current organisation. A mentor is someone you go to for advice, to bounce ideas off of and to develop you. A sponsor is someone who will champion you and advocate for you. They don't have to be your direct leader but could be someone who speaks up for you and helps to nominate you for promotions. I hope to continue to be both a mentor and a sponsor for leaders in our business!
At the event we also recgonised some US based nominees from Spencer Ogden's ‘100 Women in Renewable Energy’ campaign, awarding them in person for their contributions to the industry. You can read more about the initiative and view the full microsite here.
A special thank you to Mindy Prefling, Alicia Orr and Emily Kuhn for coordinating this event with me and for our wonderful panelists Yancan Lydia Li, Katherine Treuer, Trixie (Ligon) Blair and Carole Mariani.
