The renewable energy sector, though nascent, is part of the traditionally male-dominated energy sector. Similarly, private equity continues to be led predominantly by seasoned male professionals. The intersection of these fields means that female investors in renewables are notably underrepresented.
As an investment professional at Omnes Capital investing in the capital of renewables developers, I see how this minority status can present unique advantages, such as offering fresh perspectives, leveraging distinct networks, and fostering new connections. However, it also brings significant challenges, including the scarcity of female peers and role models, which can lead to isolation and a lack of natural allies.
Characterized by its entrepreneurial spirit, the renewable energy industry is more receptive to diversity than traditional fossil fuel industries. Despite this progressive stance, leadership roles, including CEOs, CFOs, and COOs, are still largely occupied by men. Female entrepreneurs are particularly rare within the energy industry, and male entrepreneurs frequently report difficulties in recruiting women for senior management positions.
There are, without doubt, qualified women eager to fill these roles, but the lack of role models remains a critical impediment. When there are women at the helm of companies, it seems there is no problem in finding other talented women to join the ranks of their organizations. I recently spoke to the founder of a startup in civil engineering. More than 66% of her workforce were women. She attributed this achievement to the fact that there were women founders, who served as relatable figures to more junior women in the field.
Empowering female entrepreneurs in the renewable energy sector is essential for attracting more women to executive positions. The financial industry has a pivotal role to play in this endeavor. Just as environmental considerations have become integral to investment decisions, gender diversity should also be considered.
Diversity leads to better team performance and, finally, to value creation. In addition, financial value is created through cost-of-capital opportunities. Many sustainability-linked loans combine interest rate discounts with parity targets.
In 2026, EU legislation will kick in to enforce a 40% minimum parity on corporate boards. Parity will no longer be an option. As investors, we are particularly attentive to the possibility of accompanying woman entrepreneurs or mixed management teams among our portfolio companies.
At Omnes, our investments in development teams and power producers aim to foster their growth into leading independent power producers (IPPs). Concurrently, we champion the implementation of ESG strategies, with a particular focus on promoting diversity at the executive level. Our objective is to achieve gender parity and underscore the value of diversity, in order to achieve even better team performance.
In the recent McKinsey Diversity Matters report, “companies with representation of women exceeding 30 percent are significantly more likely to financially outperform those with 30 percent or fewer.” A board comprising an equal number of men and women, with varied educational and professional backgrounds, is exceptionally well-positioned to drive value creation and adeptly navigate diverse market conditions. This is why I strongly recommend that female professionals committed to the energy transition join the renewables sector. We are looking for the next generation of ambitious women entrepreneurs.
Camille Zimmermann joined Omnes in 2023 as an Investment Director. She invests in the capital of European renewables developers and IPPs to support their growth to become leading and fully-fledged players in Europe. She is a board member of six European IPPs in different geographies (Italy, Sweden, Denmark, France, Greece). Camille has more than sixteen years of experience in strategy and finance consulting (Oliver Wyman), and in energy (Naturgy). For five years, she held the position of Investment Director and Fund Manager of debt funds dedicated to renewables developers and energy transition players at Sienna Investment Managers (ex Acofi). Camille is a graduate of ESCP Paris and holds a Master's degree from City University and the Kauffrau Diploma.
Interested in joining Camille Zimmermann and other women industry leaders and experts at Women in Solar Europe? Find out more: www.wiseu.network
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