The Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE), through the Women in Energy Network of Latin America and the Caribbean (RedLACME), held the webinar “Just Energy Transition and Women’s Leadership in the Region: Vision and Leadership of Women in the Energy Sector,” a regional event that brought together leading energy professionals to reflect on the progress, challenges and opportunities in building more inclusive, sustainable and equitable energy systems.
This high-level dialogue addressed the current transformations in the energy sector, the importance of incorporating a gender perspective into the energy transition, and the strategic role of women’s leadership in the sustainable development of the region.
The panel featured representatives from the associations that are part of RedLACME: Paola Pimentel from Women in Energy Dominican Republic (MER RD); Marcela Zulantay from the Association of Women in Energy of Chile (AME); Verónica Geese from the Association of Women in Sustainable Energy of Argentina (AMES); and Cecilia San Román from the Uruguayan Association of Women in Energy (AUME).
During the event, participants highlighted that any energy transition that does not fully integrate women’s capabilities and skills loses innovation, quality in decision-making, and key talent for the sector’s development. They also noted that gender gaps in the energy sector are structural, multifactorial and territorial in nature, including rural–urban inequalities, public–private segmentation, male-dominated STEM fields, wage gaps and cultural barriers.
The panelists agreed that the lack of visible role models limits women’s entry, retention and access to leadership positions in the energy sector. In this context, they emphasized that the energy transition represents a historic opportunity to promote greater female participation, especially in areas such as renewable energy, digitalization, distributed generation and local energy projects.
The webinar concluded with a call to change the paradigm: women should not be seen only as a group to be included, but as key actors and central architects of a just, social and sustainable energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean.
During the dialogue, the panelists shared reflections on the importance of women’s leadership in transforming the energy sector. Verónica Geese stated that “when an activity does not integrate women’s capabilities, it loses innovation, quality in decision-making and key talent for the energy transition.” Cecilia San Román noted that “the energy transition will not be just as long as technical and leadership roles remain male-dominated and wage gaps persist.” In the same vein, Marcela Zulantay affirmed that “making women’s leadership visible is not symbolic; it creates real mirrors so that more women can see themselves and project their future in the energy sector.”
Finally, Paola Pimentel emphasized that “energy is not only a technical issue: it is education, health, autonomy and social justice; therefore, the gender perspective must be included from the design stage.”
Watch the webinar at the following link: https://youtu.be/bSnbOgfY5aU
