The energy transition ranks among the biggest economic shifts of our time, changing how power is generated, financed, delivered and used. The people leading it, though, still don’t reflect the full range of talent the transition could draw on. Karin Burns has been chief executive of three organizations in the climate and energy space and spent much of her career in finance and investing, and to her, getting more women into the energy transition is partly about bringing in diverse perspectives but even more about delivering improved results.
What the numbers say
Research on climate technology investment makes the business case difficult to dismiss. RMI’s Third Derivative, drawing on PwC data, reports that female only founding teams captured just 5.3 percent of climate tech deals and 1.1 percent of total funding globally in the first nine months of 2024. Mixed gender teams fared better, at 21 percent of deals, yet still got only 7 percent of the capital. RMI estimates that consistently investing in mixed gender founding teams in climate tech would create more than $12 billion in additional annual returns (RMI).
That gap is a glaring market inefficiency. Investors take pride in finding undervalued opportunities, and still one of the plainest opportunities in climate investing has gone mostly untouched. The same RMI analysis finds that startups with at least one woman founder reach exits faster, in 7.2 years compared with a United States average of 8.1 years. In a sector where each year of progress counts for the climate (not to mention investor returns), that speed is worth a great deal.
The pattern reaches well past startups. Throughout the wider energy sector, women are still underrepresented in executive roles, on boards, in engineering and on the deal teams deciding which projects and companies get capital.
Why diverse leadership performs better
There’s nothing mysterious about why diverse teams tend to do better. The energy transition is packed with complex, interlocking problems, from balancing reliability and affordability and fitting new technology into old systems to working with policy that shifts year to year and earning the trust of communities whose needs vary widely. Teams with a broader mix of experiences and perspectives are better at catching risks, challenging assumptions and designing solutions that serve more people.
Diverse leadership also improves how organizations relate to the public. Utilities and energy providers serve whole communities, and choices about rates, programs and infrastructure land on households in very different ways. Leadership teams that look like the communities they serve are more likely to foresee those effects and to communicate in ways that build trust.
Talent is part of the argument as well. The energy transition will need a huge workforce, from engineers and technicians to analysts, policy specialists and executives. An industry that doesn’t recruit, keep and promote women is in effect fishing in half of its potential talent pool, and as competition for skilled workers heats up, organizations with inclusive cultures will hold an advantage that lasts.
Lessons from building organizations
Karin’s own path began in global finance, including mergers and acquisitions at JPMorgan Chase and private equity at Gulf Capital, before she moved into clean energy and climate investing. She later served as Executive Director of Code REDD, where she launched the Stand for Trees campaign to open voluntary forest carbon credits to the broader public. She led the turnaround of Build It Green, and went on to build a community choice energy provider in Southern California through a period when revenue grew from about $385 million to more than $1 billion, reserves from $42 million to over $500 million, and the team grew from fewer than 20 people to nearly 100.
Those experiences taught her that culture drives results. During the Build It Green turnaround, employee turnover fell by 30%, revenue doubled to $22 million and the organization returned to profitability for four straight years. Retention at San Diego Community Power during her tenure surpassed 95%. Outcomes like those come from leadership that stresses trust, transparency, inclusion and high performance all at once.
She also learned that representation builds on itself over time. Women in visible leadership roles open doors for others through hiring, mentoring and sponsorship, and by showing what’s possible. Every woman who moves into an executive or board role in the energy sector makes the way forward easier for the next generation to see. Burns also mentors students and early stage founders through Duke University’s Design Climate program, helping turn climate tech ideas into viable businesses.
Practical steps for the industry
Good intentions won’t close the gap without deliberate action. RMI’s research notes that mentorship has value but that sponsorship and introductions are what really push careers and companies ahead.
For investors, that means looking hard at pipelines and decision processes and setting goals for evaluating and funding more women led and mixed gender teams. Boards should make sure executive searches include qualified women at every stage and that board seats themselves draw on a wider range of experience. Energy companies and public agencies should put money into mentorship and sponsorship programs that help women move from technical and middle management jobs into senior leadership.
Workplace policies count as well. Plenty of talented professionals leave the industry right when career demands run into family responsibilities. Flexible work arrangements, fair parental leave and cultures that respect the need for balance help hold on to experienced people who would otherwise leave. When leaders talk openly about managing a career alongside family life, those conversations become normalized for everyone.
The industry can also recognize and amplify the women who are already leading the transition. Speaking slots, panels, podcasts and industry awards all build the kind of visibility that leads to new opportunities, and industry associations and conferences have a real part to play in making sure the voices shaping the conversation reflect the full diversity of the field.
The energy transition needs every advantage it can find, and the evidence points to investing in women, as founders, executives, engineers or board members, as one of the most dependable advantages on offer. Organizations that embrace diverse leadership become more equitable, and they also become stronger, more resilient and better prepared to deliver the clean energy future their communities want and need.
