A leading Cumbrian director has been shortlisted for a prestigious regional award for his work in promoting gender diversity in the nuclear industry.

Craig Hatch, group managing director of WYG, is a gender balance ally for the county’s branch of the international organisation Women in Nuclear.

He has been named as a finalist in the Northern Power Women Awards, celebrating people working towards gender balance in organisations across the Northern Powerhouse.

He is the only male finalist in the Ally Award category.

WiN said Craig’s sponsorship and leadership on gender balance has been part of the team’s success and his support was pivotal in WiN Cumbria’s winning the Northern Power Women Innovation Award last year.

Craig said: “I am extremely proud to have been shortlisted for such a prestigious award, and honoured to be so alongside other shortlisted candidates who have made a big impact in improving gender equality. The support I give to WiN personally and through WYG aligns with our ethos of leading with science.

“I want my daughter Eleanor and all future generations to have open doors to want to progress a STEM career.

It has been rewarding to see the meaningful impact made by WiN in the nuclear sector and broader in our community. I have seen that genuine appreciation of the benefits of gender equality has been established.

“As such this personal recognition is pleasing and humbling and will be used by me to further promote the equality agenda to enable continued impact of WiN.”

WiN Cumbria was established in March 2018 and has become a powerful network of local organisations and individuals working together to achieve gender diversity within the Cumbrian workforce.

Claire Gallery-Strong, chair of WiN Cumbria, said: “Craig is absolutely deserving of this recognition.

“I can’t thank him enough for his support. It allowed us to offer a programme to create gender balance at regional events. He truly lives his values – he brought his daughter to our events and encouraged her into a STEM role.”

Winners will be announced at a ceremony in March.

Mrs Gallery-Strong added: “It is our mission to ensure we create an inclusive and fair environment that helps attract, retain and build a diverse workforce of the future, for Cumbria and the UK.

“Allies like Craig are integral to achieving our objectives and I hope that this visibility will encourage more support.”

Currently, only 22 per cent of the UK’s nuclear industry is female, and this number declines significantly at senior levels.