Copper’s Head of Scotland, Laura Sutherland, attended the Women in New Energy (WiNE) conference in Aberdeen on Tuesday and left with one clear conclusion:
The biggest challenges facing the energy sector aren’t technical, they’re human.
Across a series of thought-provoking sessions, from The Human Side of Energy: Mental Health, Equity and How We Drive for Change hosted by Annabel Sall, to Re-Energising Scotland: Women Shaping the Future of Scottish Energy hosted by POWERful Women, Pathways in Energy: A Dual-Perspective Fireside Chat hosted by Erikka Askeland, and Powering New Energy: Digital Innovation & AI Driving the UK Transition hosted by Beena Sharma, discussion ranged from AI and grid resilience to leadership, diversity, wellbeing and workforce development.
Yet despite the breadth of topics, a consistent theme emerged:
Delivery will ultimately depend on trust, communication and behaviour — not just infrastructure.
Energy is, fundamentally, a people challenge
As one speaker put it: “it’s all a people challenge.”
The industry continues to focus, understandably, on the scale of delivery, gigawatts, grid capacity, investment pipelines. But outside of the sector, those aren’t the terms people use or relate to.
Most people aren’t thinking about system resilience or electrification pathways. They’re thinking about:
- Energy bills
- The impact on their community
- Whether change feels fair
- That disconnect matters. Because without public confidence and understanding, projects slow down, opposition grows and delivery becomes harder.
The implication is clear:
Technical certainty alone is no longer enough to secure consent, social license is just as critical.
For organisations, that means moving beyond simply communicating what is being built, and focusing more clearly on:
- Why it matters
- How it benefits people directly
- What it means for communities in practice
- Clarity, relevance and consistency are no longer “nice to have” , they are delivery enablers.
AI is changing the energy conversation
Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence featured heavily. But the discussion has moved on.
This is no longer about AI as a tool sitting alongside operations, it is increasingly embedded in decision-making, planning and system management.
The opportunities are significant:
- Improving operational efficiency
- Strengthening grid resilience
- Supporting workforce planning
- Managing increasingly complex systems
But the conversation is also shifting towards risk and responsibility.
Key questions are emerging:
- Who owns and governs the data?
- How are decisions being made and audited?
- Do organisational values align with how AI is being deployed?.
- One of the most interesting shifts is the growing role of communicators in this space.
Traditionally, these conversations would sit with engineers, policy makers and technical specialists. Increasingly, organisations need to:
- Explain AI in a way that builds trust
- Navigate internal change
- Manage external scrutiny
Which means communication is moving closer to the centre of decision-making.
The future isn’t human or AI — it’s human and AI.
The challenge is ensuring that relationship is understood, trusted and governed effectively.
Diversity is about decision-making, not just representation
The discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion were candid and grounded in lived experience.
There was clear acknowledgement that progress has been made, but also that barriers remain.
Experiences shared included:
- Being talked over in meetings
- Being the only woman in the room
- Having to navigate informal networks not designed with inclusion in mind
- But what stood out most was the shift in framing.
This is not just about representation. It’s about better decision-making.
The energy transition requires complex, long-term decisions with global consequences.
The organisations that will succeed are those able to draw on:
- Different perspectives
- Different lived experiences
- Different ways of thinking
- There was also a strong challenge around pipeline and retention.
Why would we limit ourselves to recruiting from half the population?
And importantly:
- Inclusion doesn’t start at leadership level
- It starts early through mentoring, sponsorship and visibility of different career paths
- For organisations, this isn’t just a cultural issue it’s a capability issue.
The opportunity: a sector still being built
One of the most compelling reflections from the day was that now is an exceptional time to be part of the energy sector.
Because it isn’t fully formed.
It is:
- Evolving
- Complex
- Sometimes unclear
- And that creates space.
The answers don’t all exist yet, and that is where opportunity lies.
For individuals, that means the ability to shape the future of the sector.
For organisations, it means recognising that success will depend not just on what they build, but on how they bring people with them.
Because if WiNE 2026 demonstrated anything, it’s that the energy transition isn’t solely an engineering challenge.
It’s a human one.
Final thought
At Copper, we help organisations navigate change, build trust and communicate complex challenges in ways that resonate with stakeholders, communities and employees. If you’d like to discuss how strategic communications can support your energy ambitions, we’d love to hear from you.