March 2025

Author: Judith Hall, General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and executive sponsor of Pine Gate’s Women’s Impact Network (WIN)

As General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer at Pine Gate Renewables, I’m proud to play a leading role in enhancing the experience of women in our workforce. Women make up almost half of Pine Gate’s employees and over 60% of those in management roles, so it’s critical to recognize that this population often has unique needs at various stages of life and career. Over the last year, I’ve been proud to partner with our organizational leaders to champion flexible work schedules, enhanced benefits, and a community for women to gather and share insights and experiences. 

Flexible Work Schedules 

When companies prioritize flexibility, they acknowledge that women – who often juggle career and caregiving responsibilities – feel pressure to balance professional success and personal well-being. This goes beyond simply offering remote or hybrid roles and by truly examining if the workplace experience is a sustainable one. At Pine Gate, we are proud to offer part time roles and flexible schedules to ensure that talented women at all levels are hired, retained, recognized and promoted, not sidelined. A workplace that supports women during all stages of their careers is stronger, more innovative, and better positioned for long-term success. 

Enhanced Benefits 

Last year, in partnership with our People and Culture team, Pine Gate’s employee resource group for women, the Women’s Impact Network (WIN), spearheaded a process to evaluate and consider changes to our benefits package.  We are pleased to now offer enhanced pregnancy, postpartum, menopause and midlife care through Progyny, a benefit at no additional cost to employees. We added increased flexibility to our parental leave policy, allowing employees to take paid leave at any time within the first year of the birth or placement of a child in connection with adoption or foster care. We also added a phased return to work option so new parents can take an additional 4 weeks of leave at 50% workload. These changes were a direct result of employee feedback and leadership of our WIN members. 

Community 

Finally, as an executive sponsor of the Women’s Impact Network (WIN), I advise the group on programmatic offerings and strategic engagement opportunities. Participation in WIN has demonstrably enhanced the employee experience: in our most recent employee engagement survey, WIN members reported higher levels of feeling valued for their contributions. Building on the success of our benefits initiative, in January of this year, WIN launched Pine Gate’s first formal mentorship program. I believe that mentorship is an invaluable experience for participants to learn, solve problems, validate experiences, and build a supportive community of colleagues. I’m so excited to see how this program will benefit emerging leaders at Pine Gate. 

 

Pine Gate Renewables is committed to fostering a supportive environment for women at all stages of their careers. By championing balance and flexibility, enhancing benefits tailored to women’s unique needs, and cultivating a strong community through initiatives like the Women’s Impact Network, we are not only empowering our female employees but also strengthening our organization. Our efforts have already shown positive results, and we will continue to champion these values to ensure that women at Pine Gate feel valued and able to thrive both personally and professionally.