British Water is urging the industry to make their boards more diverse and inclusive by increasing the number of women by 30 per cent by 2025.
The trade body has set the example with its own set of pledges to address equality between people of different genders, ethnicities and social backgrounds.
It will ensure 30 per cent of its non-executive board are female by 2025, compared to just one board member at present.
Currently women are underrepresented in the water sector with only 20 per cent of female workers compared to a national average of 47 per cent.
Lila Thompson, chief executive of British Water, champions the cause and wants to see the growing interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects among girls and women to be reflected at board level.
She said the gender imbalance is part of a legacy of women long being underrepresented in the STEM sectors and wants to see acceleration in the transition to a more balanced workforce.
“While I’m proud that we have a diverse workforce, this is clearly not the case with our non-executive board. We recognise this and will be making the positive changes set out in our pledge, which has been signed by every board member.”
The pledges also include commitment to have at least one female speaker or panellist at all of its industry events; to encourage all employees and directors to confront bias where they encounter it; and to ensure at least half the British Water workforce is female and from diverse backgrounds.
Within the water and wider utility sector, one fifth of the workforce is over 55 and set to retire over the next decade, which will leave a huge hole in terms of both skills and experience.
Thompson urged the sector to remove barriers around recruitment, retention and progression; and to make the sector “an appealing place to work so it can become more inclusive and truly representative of the communities it serves.”
The Hampton-Alexandra review into improving gender balance included a target of 33 per cent board representation on FTSE 350 boards by the end of this year.