Vision 2030 Pledge Round Table: Leadership Commitment to Inclusion

Through our AXIS Network Pledge we invite companies within the energy industry to commit to achieving gender equality in the workplace, focusing on equal pay, leadership, and opportunities. Our commitment to them is to support them with this goal and one of the ways we do so, is to hold bi-annual meetings where we invite senior leaders and others focused on diversity and inclusion within the industry to focus on a specific aspect of inclusion.

Summary

Our latest Round Table, kindly hosted by NSTA, focused on one of component of AXIS Network’s Vision 2030 strategy: Leadership Commitment.

The session brought together senior leaders from across the energy sector - individuals who hold real influence over how our industry evolves, with a shared purpose: to move beyond statements of intent and translate inclusive ambition into measurable, actionable progress.

Inclusion, after all, is not achieved through policy alone but is demonstrated in how we lead, how we listen and how we make decisions that shape our people and performance. This round table was not about reiterating the ‘why’ of inclusion, but rather the ‘how’ through mutual information sharing. Examples of how leadership behaviours can set the tone for trust, how accountability frameworks can sustain momentum and how organisations can embed inclusion into everyday practice rather than viewing it as an unachievable initiative.

The atmosphere was one of candour and shared responsibility. Leaders spoke openly about both progress and pain points the practical challenges of shifting culture, measuring change and leading inclusively in complex, high-pressure environments. It was encouraging to see that, across the room, there was not just a willingness to learn but a collective determination to act.

Through thoughtful facilitation, particularly from Stuart Payne, Men for Inclusion and insightful examples shared by Karen Blanc, the discussion brought inclusion to life through real-world leadership examples and practical pathways forward. Each participant left not only with a renewed sense of purpose but also with a clear, personal commitment a specific action they will take within their own organisation to advance inclusion in leadership.

The event reinforced that inclusive leadership is not a side conversation; it is the cornerstone of sustainable performance, innovation and trust in our sector. As we look ahead to 2030, this shared commitment from our pledge companies represents a powerful step forward from aspiration to accountability, from intent to impact.

Opening - Stuart Payne, Chief Executive of NSTA

The discussions were opened by Stuart Payne, Chief Executive of NSTA, who set the tone by underlining the imperative of inclusive leadership in the energy transition. Stuart emphasised that inclusion is not a peripheral nice to have but must be foundational if the sector is to maintain legitimacy, attract diverse talent and achieve sustainable innovation. He also stressed that NSTA’s strategies are underpinned by fairness, accountability and diversity. He noted that he wants everyone to feel safe in the workplace which speaks to the inclusive culture our host company demonstrated has been successfully developed during his tenure of Chief Executive.

He challenged attendees to move beyond pledges and to begin embedding inclusive behaviours into governance, talent pipelines, decision-making, and accountability systems.

Workshop: Men for Inclusion

A central part of the Round Table was a workshop led by Men for Inclusion, a group dedicated to enabling male leaders to act as enablers and allies in diversity and inclusion Mark Freed and Stacey Will took our pledge companies through their brilliant ADUCE (Awareness, Desire, Understanding, Capability, Embedding) model before moving to an interactive workshop format: Men for Inclusion challenged all of our participants to share with good and bad practices of leadership commitment to inclusion in small groups to then share the key learnings with the wider group.

Key insights emerged:

• Establishment of ESG groups will only work where underpinned by tangible senior leadership commitment and sponsorship.

• Effective allyship often requires smaller, everyday acts for example amplifying under heard voices in meetings, mentoring outside one’s usual network, stepping back to allow others to lead.

• There is a noted difference between leaders who genuinely care about inclusion and those who do not.

  
  

This workshop helped shift the framing from inclusion as a ‘program’ to inclusion as ongoing leadership practice.

Good Practice Pledge Share - Karen Blanc VP of Inclusion, Belonging and People Development - Kent

A compelling contribution of best practices in leadership commitment to inclusion was shared by Karen Blanc, VP of Inclusion, Belonging and People Development at Kent who are a very proactive pledge company of AXIS Network. Karen shared real-world examples of leadership inclusion in action happening at Kent under her remit including the introduction of regional accountability for areas to achieve inclusion goals has allowed for monitoring outcomes. Karen’s examples grounded the discussion, showing that inclusion can and should be integrated into core operations, not merely in HR or diversity programmes.

Key Themes and Takeaways

Throughout the session, several recurring themes surfaced:

• From Pledge to Practice - The focus must shift to embedding inclusive decision loops, structural change and measurement.

• Leadership Visibility - Visible advocacy matters modelling behaviour and intervening when exclusion arises.

• Culture, Not Just Systems - While policies matter, many noted that inclusion depends on daily norms: how meetings are run, who speaks, who sponsors growth. Changing culture required both top-down and bottom-up efforts.

  
  

By the close of the round table, participants put forward concrete, individual commitments to accelerate inclusion within their organisations.

Reflections and Next Steps

This round table marked an important milestone: moving the conversation from declarative pledges to tangible commitments and collegiate momentum. The presence of strong voices like Stuart Payne and practitioners like Karen Blanc helped anchor aspiration in real possibility, providing all participants with real world examples of good practice in leadership commitment to inclusion.

The real test now lies in execution, follow-through and mutual accountability. The inclusion commitments made by each attendee are promising but only sustained action and transparency will determine whether Vision 2030 pledges transform into deeper, system-level change.