How JLL & Schneider Electric are Championing Inclusivity
Both companies are eager to confront gender imbalances at digital infrastructure industry events by supporting personal development and equipping female leaders with skills and confidence for public speaking.
Global energy leader Schneider Electric is collaborating with real estate and investment management company JLL as part of its Women’s Speaker Series. The programme was created by JLL to address the gender divide within digital business sectors, particularly at events.
The second season of JLL’s Women’s Speaker Series is expected to be hosted at Schneider Electric’s new Victoria Office in London.
“At JLL, collaboration is core to our culture, and as one of the world’s fastest growing industries, we believe the digital infrastructure sector has a global responsibility to be inclusive at all levels,” says Catriona Shearer, Global Head of Data Centre Consulting at JLL and one of Data Centre Magazine’s Top 100 Women in Data Centres 2025.
Creating a more inclusive culture at business events
Both companies are expected to host the second season of JLL’s inclusion programme and provide attendees with a one-day workshop, which includes panels, interviews and networking alongside industry experts. This is designed to encourage shared learning experiences and personal development via real-world training.
Feedback from previous attendees at JLL events suggests that around 20-34% of agendas were made up of female speakers, with one major US event being without female representation on stage entirely, the company says.
Furthermore, a 2024 report from Uptime Institute found that 80% of data centre operations teams have only 10% women or less and that organisations are failing to attract qualified female candidates.
Catriona adds: “Our events champion inclusivity by welcoming participants from all corners of the data centre industry, aligned in one mission – to address the gender imbalance via mentoring and learning, while helping close the industry’s skills gap.”
Creating new pathways
Within the data centre industry in particular, the presence of women – particularly in leadership roles – remains low. A lack of diversity could lead to long-lasting implications that include limiting innovation and missing out on digital opportunities.
Other companies have already started to commit to initiatives in order to encourage more women and girls to be interested in the data centre industry – including Kao Data, which recently launched Critical Careers: Celebrating Women in Digital Infrastructure to spotlight women’s contributions to digital infrastructure to inspire other women across the world.
In order to address imbalances at industry events, JLL is collaborating with a range of leading event organisations – all of whom have received the details of women who have completed sessions on the Women’s Speaker Series and are providing pathways for female leaders to speak at future events.
“As the global leader in energy management and automation, our company works across a multitude of industries, many of which continue to experience significant skills shortages” said Louisa Buckley, Sales Manager, Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric UK and Ireland.
“Our collaboration with JLL reflects our organisations’ shared values of inclusion and care, and our commitments to address gender imbalances across the data centres, buildings, and grids of the future. We’re proud to host the JLL Women’s Speaker Series and be part of its mission.”
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