Energy Storage Report – Top 40 Women Leaders in Energy Storage

• Energy Storage Report reveals the Top 40 Women Leaders
• Ranking the result of nomination process and months of research
• Scientists, engineers, lawyers and financial professionals included

After an avalanche of nominations, an extensive research process, and much deliberation, Energy Storage Report is delighted to announce the ‘Top 40 Women Leaders in Energy Storage’.

Back in February, we invited you, the readers of Energy Storage Report, to submit your nominations for the top women leaders in the sector.

Why did we make this request? Earlier this year, an article we published on the ‘Ten Energy Storage Companies to Watch in 2022’ sparked a social media debate focussed on the shortage of women in the sector, and the possible reasons for it.

Why a shortage of women in storage is detrimental to the sector

As we highlighted in our article announcing the launch of our top women leaders in storage research, the lack of women in the industry means that the sector is:

1. Less innovative than it could be
2. Missing out on opportunities to pursue new pathways for technology deployment
3. Missing out on fresh perspectives that could drive far-reaching change in economies and societies that could help to foster the wider adoption of energy storage
4. Missing out on a richer and more diverse talent pool

So, with the aim of helping to tackle this problem, Energy Storage Report put the call out for nominations for the top women leaders in the industry.

Role models are crucial: ‘Seeing is believing’

The thinking behind the initiative is that research has shown that role models have a crucial role to play in the drive to increase the participation of women in the energy storage sector.

In our article announcing the launch of this research project, we quoted Dr Margie Warrell –  appointed as the Australian Government’s Ambassador for Women in Global Business in 2016 – who said that role models have “an amplified benefit for women due to the gender biases, institutional barriers and negative stereotypes women have long had to contend with across a wide swathe of professional domains – in short, seeing is believing”.

Hence, the ‘Top 40 Women Leaders in Energy Storage’ feature.

Who made the Top 40?

Not everyone who was nominated made the Top 40. There was a range of criteria for inclusion. Longevity was crucial – some candidates, while occupying senior positions in the energy storage sector, were relatively new to the industry and had joined the sector after having occupied senior roles in unrelated areas of business. Obviously, scientists and engineers feature in our list as in-depth knowledge of storage technology was a major factor when compiling the Top 40, but weight was also given to candidates’ level of seniority in the organisations they represent.

Why business, financial and legal expertise is also crucial

However, while you may have used your extensive knowledge of the mechanics of energy storage to develop an innovative concept, you also need people to invest in your idea and take steps to commercialise it. Consequently, energy storage sector business acumen – as well as financial and legal expertise – was also given due consideration.

In addition, industry pioneers who have shown leadership by taking major steps to boost the participation of minority groups in the energy storage sector are also included in the Top 40.

Finally, reputation – what people in the industry said about the nominees – was also a key consideration.

See the Top 40 below. We’re certain that this list will spark much more debate, which we welcome. Please contact us at [email protected] with any feedback. Congratulations to all those included!

1. Julia Song
   Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, ESS
   Song has spearheaded the transition of iron flow battery technology into a commercial energy storage system, which made a big contribution to ESS going public last year. The company’s investors have predicted that ESS’ technology will become “the gold standard in the industry”.
2. Ramya Swaminathan
   CEO, Malta Inc
   Led the spin-out of Malta from X, Alphabet’s ‘Moonshot Factory’ (formerly Google X), as well as being a member of the US Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee.
3. Andrea Wüttke
   Chief Financial Officer, Energy Vault
   Led Energy Vault’s financial operations as it took the momentous step of listing on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year – the company is now set to turboboost its international expansion.
4. Rebecca Boll
   SVP & Chief Product Officer, Fluence
   A former electronic combat officer in the US Air Force, Boll joined Fluence in June 2020 as chief product officer. Last year, the company closed an IPO, generating proceeds of nearly $1 billion.
5. Kristin Schumann
   Deputy Director Energy Storage Solutions, TotalEnergies
   Leader of energy storage construction and operations management at TotalEnergies, which is developing storage grid-scale projects in France, the US and South Africa, as well as in several European and Asian countries.
6. Haixia (Haishah) Deng
   Vice President of Cathode, Ascend Elements
   Widely renowned for her research into li-ion cathode materials, Deng was senior director of battery materials development at Silicon Valley-based eJoule prior to joining Ascend Elements.
7. Charlotte Beard
   Vice President Finance, Form Energy
   In the last 12 months, Form Energy raised £200 million in a Series D Funding Round – some market analysts predict that the Bill Gates-backed company’s iron-air battery will revolutionise the energy storage market.
8. Nicole A. Bulgarino
   Executive Vice-President – Federal Solutions, Ameresco
   Oversees the development and implementation of US federal and government energy projects, including microgrids and energy storage systems.

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