Meet the inspiring woman saving UK businesses £8million in a male-dominated industry 

Despite the technology sector being predominantly a male-dominated industry, one inspiring woman has saved UK businesses more than £8 million on their energy bills through the use of Pilot Group’s Energy Management System (EMS) technology after identifying that said savings could be made.  

Phoebe Baker, an Account Manager at sustainable technology expert Pilot Group, throughout her fledgling 4-year career at the company has overseen the installation of more than 500 EMS systems, resulting in huge carbon and energy savings. 

Since joining Pilot Group, Phoebe has helped UK companies save more than 250,000,000 kWh in energy as well as helping them to prevent more than 47,000 carbon tonnes from entering the environment.  

The energy savings made by Phoebe alone are enough to power more than 86,200 houses for an entire year,[i] while the carbon reductions she has made are the equivalent of taking more than 10,200 cars off the road.[ii] 

With Pilot Group aiming to save UK companies £1.2 million in energy costs by June this year alone, Phoebe’s work and experience will be crucial in achieving this target.   

Phoebe’s staggering success comes as the gender-split in the technology sector is growing increasingly disproportionate, with female representation in the sector standing at 26.2 percent.[iii]  

This looks set to continue with research carried out by PWC of 2,000 A-Level students finding that just 3 percent of females said a career in technology was their first choice, with 78 percent saying they could not name a famous woman working in the sector.[iv] 

Phoebe began her career at Pilot Group as a Sales Executive in late 2018 – a role she still holds – and quickly rose through the ranks of the energy management division, before becoming a Field Sales Executive after five months, and then an EMS Account Manager in February 2020. 

Through her work, Phoebe has assisted countless companies in identifying where and how they can reduce their energy consumption, guided them through how Pilot Group’s EMS can help them make impactful savings across their energy bills, and supported them through the installation process from start to finish.   

As well as being influential in the company’s EMS growth, Phoebe’s expertise have seen her become an active spokesperson for Pilot Group, appearing regularly on expert webinars and at roundtables to discuss the advances in energy management.  

With the world set to mark International Women’s Day, Phoebe said that although there have been gains in equality and that should be celebrated, there is still more which needs to be done.  

She said: “It’s so important to celebrate International Women’s Day as it is a perfect time to reflect and understand how far we have come in terms of equality and that should be celebrated. 

“However, I think as much as we celebrate how far we have come it is also important to highlight what work still needs to be done as there is still many women and girls out there who are still fighting their fight to be equal.” 

Speaking about challenges in the technology sector, Phoebe highlighted the disproportion between men and women in the sector. 

“The industry I work in is very male dominant and your ability and knowledge as a woman is often questioned. I think there are a lot of assumptions within the industry I work in as to whether you have the same level of knowledge as a man in the position.” She said.   

“With my age and the fact I am a woman, I have had to prove myself a million times more than a man would have to in the industry, but by proving myself I have overcome those barriers and earned respect from male colleagues,” she continued. 

Speaking about the technology sector, Phoebe highlighted how women who hold roles in the industry should be made more visible to students, so the sector is seen as a viable career path for them to aspire to.   

For those looking towards a career in the sector, Phoebe urged the UK’s young females to apply their passion and drive in order to rise to the challenges and succeed.  

She said: “If you believe you can do it then you can do it. If you have a drive or passion, don’t let anyone stand in your way. With the right balance of hard work and determination, you will get there, however long it takes.  

“Something that was said to me when I first started with Pilot Group is ‘Have confidence in yourself and your ability’. For someone who has always struggled with confidence, I took this advice and ran with it. It isn’t something that happens overnight but if you start to believe in yourself, everything else will follow.”  

Pilot Group’s Energy Management System, which the company recently invested £500,000 into to further develop it, saves companies an average of 40 percent on energy bills each year, as well as helping to significantly reduce their carbon emissions.  

Pilot Group’s EMS controls and monitors energy systems for businesses, with smart sensors and a self-learning algorithm enabling heating systems to work more efficiently to reduce waste.    

For more information visit https://www.thepilotgroup.co.uk/.