Without realising it, championing women has always been part of my life. From a lifetime of volunteering with GirlGuidingUK to my degree in Women’s Studies and co-founding a women-led business SE2, I love the support and friendship that working with women brings.

Maybe I’ve stood a little closer to those women given we can often be the minority in a room, especially given the technical basis of my work in energy efficiency and then heat networks over the last 30 years.  I’ve seen both large and small acts of exclusion – by both men and women – and tried my best to challenge it when it happens, though I know that my age now brings with it the privilege of confidence to speak up.

It’s a society thing.  If you’ve not read it yet, dip into Caroline Criado Perez’s Invisible Women: Inside the Gender Data Gap which explores how everything from car safety to medical drugs, from public policy to AI have been designed for only 50% of the population.  We all have a role in making a change: at a time when diversity, equality and inclusion can appear to be on the ropes, it’s never been more important.

The good news is change is happening and our voices are amplifying.  When we co-founded the District Heating Divas, we thought that we’d find maybe 50 people who wanted to join us.  How wrong we were!  The heat network sector is teeming with amazing women who are keen to connect, grow and learn.  We now have nearly 2,000 women who call themselves Divas across the UK, Scandinavia, the Baltics, Brussels, Germany/Austria/Switzerland and in India, as well as an ever-growing network of Allies who support us in every way they can.

So, on International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, what can we do to attract and retain women in the heat network sector?  The Circle Partnership commissioned some research last year looking at exactly this conundrum.  The study revealed:

• Women are discouraged by overtly competitive or ambitious behaviour, preferring to earn recognition through consistency, reliability, and quiet competence.
• Women are extremely strong in relationship building, emotional intelligence, empathy, influencing and team building – skills that are becoming critical as technology and new working practices become more diffuse.
• Women are more driven to contribute to team success and prioritise collaboration over personal advancement.

Thinking about how we can better manage, develop and reward women is an excellent challenge for us all, and one we strive to meet at Chirpy. If women benefit, so do men, our organisations and the wider heat network sector. It’s a net sum gain.

These shared benefits are things I have seen personally in my years of championing women. It makes the 2026 IWD message particularly apt.

International Women’s Day 2026

The #IWD2026 campaign encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration. Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, contributing to women’s advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.

Find out more about International Women’s Day 2026