Senior solar executive awarded 2019 Women in Renewables scholarship

The Clean Energy Council is proud to announce its fourth annual Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Scholarship has been awarded to Allison Hawke, Chief Operating Officer at ESCO Pacific.

Now in its fourth year, the scholarship aims to promote greater gender diversity across the entire renewable energy industry at the executive board level. The Clean Energy Council announced Ms Hawke as the 2019 recipient at its Annual General Meeting. She will be funded to undertake the Foundations of Directorshipcourse offered by AICD.  

Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Kane Thornton said Ms Hawke was a shining example of the strong leadership and dedication displayed by women in the clean energy industry.

“With an extensive career working for companies such as ESCO Pacific, CNC and ACCIONA and an obvious passion for this sector, Allison is the embodiment of the type of individual this opportunity is designed to recognise and support,” Mr Thornton said.

“Allison has had a key role in developments like the Ross River and Finley Solar Farms, as well as making a major contribution to the Clean Energy Council’s Solar Directorate which she currently chairs. She has also had a direct influence on the industry’s involvement in the draft solar farm planning guidelines both in Queensland and Victoria.”

Ms Hawke said she was deeply grateful for the opportunity that will allow her to elevate her career to the next level and continue to advocate for greater gender diversity within the industry.

“It’s opportunities like this scholarship and the wider Women in Renewables initiative that push the industry to do better and be better when it comes to gender diversity. This scholarship helps us work towards removing the glass ceiling altogether and achieving better outcomes for the industry as a whole,” Ms Hawke said.

The selection panel for the scholarship was made up of Maryanne Coffey, Project and Policy Manager at the Clean Energy Council, Rachel Watson, Acting Chief Executive at Pacific Hydro and Megan Wheatley, Manager, Communications and External Affairs at Senvion Australia.

The Clean Energy Council would like to recognise all the outstanding candidates who applied for the 2019 scholarship. The selection panel encourages all candidates to consider applying again in future years.

The winner of the second scholarship from Women in Renewables scholarship for the Monash Business School’s Your Leadership Voice: Women in Focus program will be announced in mid-December.

For more information about the Women in Renewables Initiative, to take the Leaders’ Pledge or to sign up for the mailing list please visit cleanenergycouncil.org.au/women