interview

Boralex: Silver Solar Diversity Champion 2025

by Thérèse O Donoghue - 1 December 2025

SolarPower Europe's Solar Diversity Champion Award acknowledges and celebrates organisations that have demonstrated commitment and success in achieving gender balance, and creating diverse, inclusive work environments. During our 2025 Diversity Champion Award online ceremony, Boralex was awarded the Silver Solar Diversity Champion Award. The company was praised for its initiative that is based on four pillars: training and awareness; employee support; recruitment and talent development; and community engagement and governance.

We sat down with Corentin Pondaven, Employer Brand Manager and CSR Leader – Diversity & Inclusion at Boralex, to chat about what winning the award means to the company, what initiatives were pivotal in this success, the importance of celebrating diversity in the solar sector, and much more!

1. What does this recognition mean for your organisation, and its commitment towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)?

Winning the Silver Solar Diversity Champion Award really highlights all the hard work we have put in to make diversity, equity, and inclusion a core part of our culture at Boralex. We firmly believe that having a diverse and inclusive workplace isn’t just a nice to have, it’s crucial for building a resilient and innovative energy future. This award is a testament to our teams and leadership’s dedication to creating an environment where everyone can thrive and fully contribute.

2. Can you highlight the specific initiatives or practices that you believe were pivotal in earning this success?

Our DEI strategy is built on four main pillars, each one backed by specific actions that have really helped us move forward:

1. Training and Awareness

We have launched internal campaigns and created learning modules to help employees understand unconscious bias, inclusive behavior, and what a respectful workplace looks like. These initiatives help foster a shared understanding and commitment to inclusion across all teams.

2. Employee Support

We have rolled out several tools for employee well-being and psychological safety. For instance, there's ‘ColineCare’ our mental health support platform, and ‘Pulso,’ our employee assistance program. Plus, we have a health & safety alert button that allows employees report concerns anonymously. All these resources ensure our people feel safe, supported, and empowered to speak up.

3. Recruitment and Talent Development

Our commitment to inclusive hiring means everyone has an equitable access at career growth. One example is our participation in ‘L’Effet A,’ a programme designed to accelerate women’s leadership and confidence. We also continuously review our recruitment processes to ensure fairness and diversity in candidate sourcing and selection.

4. Community Engagement and Governance

We're actively connecting with local communities and supporting charities that our employees care about. Internally, we are strengthening governance mechanisms to monitor progress, ensure accountability, and embed DEI into our strategic decision-making.

These pillars reflect our holistic and intentional approach to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and contributing to a more equitable energy sector.

3. How do you plan to build on this recognition to further enhance your diversity and inclusion efforts in the future?

This award is a stepping stone and not an achievement! We’re currently working on a three-year DEI roadmap focused on LGBTQIA+ inclusion, kicking off in 2026, to really deepen our impact. We’re looking at:

Strengthening inclusive leadership practices.
Boosting representation across teams and leadership roles.
Expanding employee engagement initiatives.
Setting clear metrics to track our progress and keep us accountable.

We also plan to continue learning from peers and partners to evolve our practices and remain ambitious in our goals.

4. What other projects or initiatives is Boralex a part of that ensure solar development in Europe is diversified and inclusive?

We engage local communities early in project design to ensure their needs are heard and integrated. Educational initiatives like school visits and public events such as Génération Transition, help democratise solar energy for all.

We also share best practices via platforms like La Plateforme Verte, and apply responsible procurement standards to support fair labor and human rights.

These efforts are part of a broader strategy to ensure that the energy transition benefits all communities equitably, and that our solar projects reflect the values of sustainability, respect, and social responsibility.

5. Why is it important to celebrate diversity practices in the solar sector?

Well, celebrating diversity is key to driving real change. The solar sector is shaping our energy future, and that future should be built by teams that reflect the diversity of our societies. Recognising these practices helps normalise inclusion, sparks innovation, and encourages others to get involved. It really shines a light on the human aspect of the energy transition.

6. How do awards like the Solar Diversity Champion Award help the solar sector, and how do they align with Boralex’s goals?

These awards are crucial for highlighting the importance of DEI in the energy transition. They create a culture of transparency, learning, and collaboration across the sector. As part of our 2030 strategic plan to build 7 GW while cultivating a safe and inclusive environment, we really want to be a responsible employer and a positive change agent, not just in how we produce energy, but in how we uplift people. Or as we say in our Boralex, it’s about going beyond renewable energies.

7. In what ways do you think your success in promoting diversity and gender equality can influence other organisations, and the broader energy sector? What essential steps do you believe are necessary for others to achieve similar success?

We really hope our journey inspires others to take action because it shows you don’t need a massive budget to make a real impact in EDI. For us, key steps have been:

Leadership commitment: DEI needs to be a strategic priority.
Employee involvement: Inclusion works best when everyone is committed to these topics
Structured plans and transparency: Clear goals and accountability are a must.
Collaboration with expert partners: Getting outside support brings in valuable insights and credibility.

By sharing our practices and learning from others, through La Plateforme Verte for example, we can collectively build a more inclusive energy sector.