In a significant recognition of female leadership in renewable energy, two Barbadian professionals have been distinguished as regional champions at the CARICOM Women in Sustainable Energy (WISE) Awards. The ceremony, held on November 28 in Georgetown, Guyana, formed a cornerstone of CARICOM Energy Month 2025 celebrations.
Gabrielle Gay, renowned entrepreneur and founder of The Erline Bradshaw Foundation, received the 2024 Social Impact, Community and Advocacy award. Her foundation’s pioneering work in sustainable energy education has empowered numerous communities across the Caribbean through knowledge dissemination and capacity building initiatives.
Charmaine Gill-Evans, a sustainable energy specialist at the Caribbean Development Bank, was honored in the Business, Entrepreneurship and Finance category. Her strategic approach to innovation and investment mechanisms has substantially strengthened the region’s energy resilience and advanced renewable infrastructure development.
The awards ceremony highlighted eight exceptional women recipients spanning both 2024 and 2025, alongside the Sustainable Energy Youth Awards which recognize emerging innovators in the sector.
Ambassador David Prendergast, Director of Sectoral Programmes at the CARICOM Secretariat, praised the awardees for their transformative leadership in advancing the region’s equitable energy transition. He emphasized that meaningful progress in clean energy must actively incorporate the contributions of women and youth, whose participation fundamentally enhances innovation and project sustainability.
Dr. Neibert Blair, representing the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ, underscored the human-centered nature of energy transformation. She noted that women and youth continue to play pivotal roles across climate action spheres—from community adaptation and research advancement to policy influence and mentoring future energy leaders.