They are dependable and demonstrate professionalism

In the Samruk-Energo Groups, more than a quarter of the employees are women. This was announced in Astana at the First Women’s Forum of the “Women in Power” Groups by Chairman of the Board of Samruk-Energo JSC Kairat Maksutov. He recalled that Samruk-Energo JSC joined the UN Global Compact in 2011 and follows the principles of this document in its strategy and in its daily activities.

“We adhere to the principles of gender equality, a key element of the company’s sustainable development, and we will continue to work to empower women,” Kairat Maksutov assured, eliciting the approval of 150 delegates of the forum – employees of the group’s subsidiaries.

Energy – one of the areas where, due to the specifics of the profession, mostly men work. More precisely, they worked… But modern technologies and a changed understanding of the gender profile of certain specialties have broken old stereotypes. More and more women are choosing technical professions and achieving success in them. They demonstrate a strong female grip and high professionalism.

Developing this topic, Saltanat Satzhan, Managing Director for Development and Privatization of Samruk-Kazyna JSC, noted: “Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund employs more than 68 thousand women. At the same time, their share in the top management of the group is 17%. And this figure is planned to increase to 30% by 2030”.

At the same time, she made a very important note: achieving these indicators is “not just a desire for gender equality, but part of a broader strategy to create an environment where polarity of opinions and diversity are welcomed, not only gender equality, but also professional and cultural.” And the forum, or rather, its participants, presented a wide range of professions that they have mastered in the energy sector. Including in the Almaty energy sector – it was represented at the forum by 10 delegates – employees of JSC AlES.

“I participated in “Women in Power” for the first time, and witnessed that women working in the energy sector love their profession and strive to improve it,” – said Bagizat Umerbayeva, a toolmaker of the 4th category of the Energoremont PRC of AlES JSC.

“One of the most memorable moments of the forum for me was the performance of Saltanat Satzhan,: says Zhanna Sapargalieva, Head of Human Resources Management at AlES JSC. – She gave such a good example: in Australia, when applying for a job, gender and age are not indicated on the resume. This focuses on the professional qualities of the candidate, and not on his gender characteristics. This approach completely eliminates bias and creates fairer conditions for all applicants.

The main message of the forum was that women do not seek power for the sake of power itself, they want to become partners, equal participants in decision-making.”

This was an important leitmotif of the very idea of equality of opportunity, which was voiced in many speeches and discussions.

“Relevant and important topics were discussed at the forum. Such as the promotion of women in technical and managerial roles, strategies to overcome the gender gap, as well as support for women in the workplace, – Svetlana Bondareva, an engineer for the organization of labor standards at Energoremont PRC, shares her impressions and conclusions. – I would especially like to mention the practical part of the forum – training on the use of GPT chat. It was a unique opportunity to explore how modern technologies can be used to improve work efficiency and communications. The training was held at a high level, and all participants gained valuable skills.

It was interesting to learn how various trainings on professional and personal development, as well as cultural events are conducted. I was particularly impressed by the speeches of the speakers, who talked about how their companies organize leisure activities for women. This is an excellent initiative that not only helps to unite the team, but also maintains a balance between career and personal life, creating a favorable atmosphere in the workplace.

I would really like to introduce similar practices in my company so that women can not only develop professionally, but also find time to relax, socialize and participate in interesting events. The forum left a lot of positive impressions, opened up new perspectives and inspired further steps in the fight for gender equality”.

Galina Gorbovskaya, Head of the Human Resources Department at CHP-3, considers it positive that thanks to the forum, attention was drawn to the problem of women in the energy sector.

“It was interesting to hear how the Women’s Club is working in other affiliated organizations,” she added. “And after the forum, new goals and objectives were set.”

At the same time, the Almaty electric engineers also had something to share with the audience of colleagues. Both in matters of professional activity and in matters of promoting the strategy of equal opportunities. The head of the Corporate Development and Risk Department, Daria Shayzhanova, made a report on this topic. She noted three priority areas of this work: the formation of corporate leadership and the development of an equal opportunities strategy; the increase of women in leadership; raising awareness of women about career opportunities in the group.

The Company is already implementing a number of social projects that are worthy of scaling in the group. These are a meaningful and intellectual Women’s Club, projects of “School Ambassadors”, “Social Partnership with universities”, “AlES in persons”, “Book of Honor”, the system of dual education, where the leading initiative and role belongs to the women of JSC AlES.

These projects serve to unite the team, strengthen ties, both professional and human relations. But, sharing their experience, the Almaty women also looked with interest at the experience of their colleagues.

“Participation in the women’s forum has become an incredibly useful experience for me,” says Daria Shayzhanova. – First of all, this is a unique platform that allowed us to hear and share experiences with other companies to promote various opportunities for women and develop the activities of women’s clubs.

What I particularly noted is that almost all companies face similar difficulties in these matters. The first of them is women’s lack of confidence in their own abilities, doubts about their abilities. The second is the need to develop leadership skills. During the forum, it became obvious that the key task of each Women’s Club is the development of women’s leadership. When women begin to believe in themselves, realize their abilities and leadership potential, they have a desire to develop not only personally, but also in a professional career.”

It is important to note that this work in AlES JSC is carried out systematically and in all areas of the equal opportunities policy. Thus, in June 2018, the company was visited by the EBRD project team, whose goal is to support Samruk-Energo JSC in adapting international best practices in the field of personnel policy to promote equal opportunities in the energy sector.

The executor of this project is the London consulting agency Ergon Associates. She conducted research in the field of equal opportunities, based on the analysis of data obtained from interviews with managers and employees of the company. In 2019, the Action Plan for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities in AlES JSC was approved, the company’s management met with consultants Ergon Associates and the EBRD to discuss the work done on the project to promote equal opportunities through corporate communications. This contributed to the implementation of real social projects involving a large number of employees of AlES JSC.

In 2019, the School Ambassadors program was launched in order to raise children’s awareness of the company’s position on the principle of equal opportunities and involvement in the energy sector. Since August 2022, AlES JSC has been operating a Women’s Club, the purpose of which is to unite the company’s employees to strengthen the role of women and expand their opportunities in production.

It is not surprising that Daria Shayzhanova, speaking at the forum, highlighted the discussion of quotas for women in leadership positions that took place there. The topic, as well as the experience of Almaty power engineers, aroused the increased interest and support of many participants.

“I am convinced that such steps can significantly accelerate the process of equal participation of women in the management sphere,” emphasizes Daria Shayzhanova. – The Forum has become a meeting place for me with like-minded people. It was a powerful charge of inspiration, because there were leaders around with positive role positions who not only talk about change, but also act.

The atmosphere of the forum has provided a lot of insights and ideas, and I am determined to introduce them into the work of our Women’s Club. The exchange of experience that took place at the forum will become the foundation for further growth and development of women’s leadership not only in our club, but also in companies across the country.”

The participants of “Women in Power” highly appreciated the training on working with modern technologies conducted by Ernst & Young within the framework of the forum. In particular, women were greatly interested in artificial intelligence tools, the capabilities of the GPT chatbot in order to improve work processes and improve communication efficiency. The training showed that digital technologies are becoming an integral part of professional development, and the ability to use them opens up new horizons for career growth, the participants of the event noted.

“This is a very useful forum. It was relevant, useful and constructive,” says Marina Avramenko, head of caretaker of the CHPP-3. “Issues relevant to us were discussed here. We had the opportunity to hear different points of view. I want to believe that this will help to adjust the directions of development of women’s clubs”.

Gulmira Aldashukurova, head of the chemical department of the A. Zhakutov CHP-2, agrees with her. “I was very inspired by the stories and experiences of our female colleagues who hold recitals, field trips, invite health specialists, and provide them with serious support at work,” she says. “I think we definitely need to implement a few ideas in our Women’s Club.”

And for Zhibek Kurmangali, Chief Specialist of the Personnel Training Department of AlES JSC, a panel session dedicated to progress in corporate culture was especially memorable.

“This session provided an opportunity to hear the speeches of women who shared their experience in running women’s clubs and discussing important aspects of women’s development in the energy sector,” Zhibek notes. – I fully agree with Lyazzat Akmurzina, Executive Director of the KAZENERGY Association, who believes that if a woman takes part in discussing and resolving issues, there will definitely be a result. The practical session with Ernst & Young Kazakhstan LLP trainers also proved to be very useful. In general, the forum has become a platform for a productive exchange of ideas and inspiration for further growth in the field of women’s leadership”.

Dina Abdimazhit, a process engineer at the B.Orazbayev CHP-1 Commissioning and Environmental Activities Workshop, talks about an incredible event that brought together women leaders from the energy industry. The inspiring speeches of the speakers, personal stories and experiences filled her with motivation and confidence that there are great opportunities for growth and development in the energy sector.

Dina came back from the forum with new knowledge and ideas for further growth. This event strengthened her desire to move forward, improve as a professional and contribute to the development of the company.

Deputy Chairman of the National Commission on Women’s Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Lazzat Ramazanova, Acting head of the office of UN Women in Kazakhstan Dina Amrisheva also spoke at the forum. At “Women in Power”, the most active workers were awarded Letters of Thanks from the Samruk-Energo trade union. Among them is Gulmira Aldashukurova, head of the Chemical Department of the A.Zhakutov CHPP-2.

Following the results of the “Women in Power” forum, a resolution was adopted and certificates of participants were awarded.