Since 2010, our Centrica Women's Network has helped a growing number of women, realise their career ambitions.
As part of our focus on diversity and inclusion, we want to ensure that Centrica is a great place for our women to work and achieve their full potential. So in addition to our policies, practices and mentoring programmes, we have a Women’s Network which plays an important role in helping our people thrive.
The Network is one of eight employee networks across the business and forms an exciting forum for our people to accelerate their personal and professional development. It does this by focusing on three core objectives:
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Celebrate difference – Support a culture where women can be who they want to be and continue to support a gender inclusive environment
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Create opportunity – Promote development opportunities and give women the skills and confidence to progress in their careers
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Provide leadership – Provide role models to develop and inspire our people to achieve their career ambitions and broaden the talent pipeline
Over a hundred women and men from across the company got involved at our recent Women’s Network event in February. The event focused on raising awareness about the wide-ranging working arrangements available to our people, which could help them better balance work or family commitments. From adopting flexible job share arrangements to taking up Shared Parental Leave or returning to work after taking a career break, our employee panel talked openly about their experiences and encouraged others to follow in their footsteps. We also debated how we could further grow our workplace inclusion, before closing with a networking session focused on sharing best practice and growing relationships.
Ivor Gibbons, Director of Reputation Insight and panel member said: “Paternity leave is over in a flash so I loved taking Shared Parental Leave to spend some extra quality time with my new family. It was good to share my story at the Centrica Women’s Network and to hear from others about their experiences of taking different types of leave. It’s now my mission to get more Dads signed up because the workplace won’t change for women until it changes for men”.
We are passionate about helping women in our local communities thrive too. Building on our existing relationship with Rosa, women from the Network will join Rosa’s community mentoring programme. Rosa pairs professionals from the corporate and not-for-profit sector with women running grass root groups or campaigns, focused on empowering women from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Our next Network event will take place in March to mark International Women’s Day.
Want to find out more about our approach to diversity and inclusion? View our diversity and inclusion strategy.