Naomi Kerp, APAC Environmentals and Approvals Lead at Xodus, Co-founder of WOW

What is WOW: Women of Offshore Wind?

WOW is an organisation dedicated to championing gender diversity and inclusion in the offshore wind (OSW) industry and its supply chain. The intent is to connect women in the OSW industry from all backgrounds and areas of expertise. With the industry in Australia being relatively new, locals working in OSW have all come from other industries and backgrounds. My co-founders represent this too, coming from different fields, backgrounds, and regions of Australia (WA, Victoria and New South Wales).

Why did you want to spearhead this initiative?

I have spent about 14 years in the offshore oil and gas industry, and before that 8 years in the mining industry in regional WA. From my experience, these are not very gender diverse industries. At times I have been one of very few women working on a project, for example, I had a job at a gold mine as a young graduate where I was one of only 2 women living in the mining camp.

In contrast, in the Australian OSW industry, there is an abundance of female leaders and it is really noticeable. I wanted to be a founder of WOW so that we can celebrate and promote woman in energy. There is a real buzz and vibrancy to OSW in Australia, and initiatives like WOW can take advantage of this and contribute to shaping the culture of this relatively new industry, helping it grow and bring the next generation into energy.

What has WOW achieved to date?

As the aim of WOW is to bring women together and create connections,  the organisation leverages key OSW/energy conferences in Australia. The event on the 14th March at AOG will be our third. As the co-founder based in Perth, I will be hosting the event.

What makes the WOW events great is the informal approach we take to the evening, inviting high profile industry women to share their stories, fostering authentic connections.

Next steps include more events, as well as being in discussions funding for an industry immersion program.

What is the one piece of advice you would give a woman looking to join the industry?

The energy and resources industry has evolved a lot in the last 20 years. I would say be bold and confident, and don’t make any assumptions about the type of role or field you think is available to you. The sky is the limit!

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: Xodus Group