Women in SAF: A Morning of Insight, Energy and Real Talk
Evgenia Starkova
VP Marketing & Sustainability
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SkyTeam
Full disclosure: I had my doubts about whether a 7:30am briefing session would draw much of a crowd on the final day of the conference.
But the room filled up - with people and with energy - which tells you that the Sustainable Aviation Futures organisers got it just right. “Women in SAF” brought together three remarkable leaders in the field: Natasha Mann, Lindsay Fitzgerald and Janita Naidoo. It was a privilege to moderate the session, and like the best conversations, it offered not just insight, but inspiration. The kind that fuels your determination to keep going, especially when the road ahead feels uncertain.
Here are just a few of the reflections that stayed with me:
Representation is improving, but not yet equal
The SAF space stands out for relatively strong female leadership, especially in executive sustainability roles. However, this isn’t mirrored in the funding landscape. Women-founded ventures still receive a disproportionately small share of investment capital. Natasha’s own experience brought this point home powerfully: progress is real, but uneven.
Women think differently, and that’s a strength
One of the themes that emerged from the discussion was how women often challenge established systems, not for the sake of it, but because they’ve had to navigate them differently. As Janita and Natasha shared, when women come together across disciplines, designing solutions from their lived experience, the results can be transformative.
Leadership has many expressions
One of the most powerful insights came from Lindsay, who spoke with contagious energy about the importance of authenticity. For her, leadership has often meant being her own mentor, her own cheerleader. But it has also meant recognising that leadership isn’t about fitting a mould: it’s about creating space for others to thrive in their own way. Women are often more attuned to this, valuing diversity of thought and lateral thinking as strengths.
The landscape is changing: slowly, but surely
All three panellists recalled times when they were the only woman in the leadership team. That’s starting to change. There’s more space now - not just for women, but for different ways of leading and contributing. Bias still exists, but the next generation, across all genders, is growing up with a more inclusive sense of what leadership looks like. And that’s reason to be hopeful.
Thank you to our speakers for Sustainable Aviation Futures’ very first Women in SAF Breakfast Briefing:
Janita Naidoo, VP Venture Development, Arcadia eFuels
Natasha Mann, CEO, Future Energy Global
Lindsay Fitzgerald, EVP of Corporate Affairs, Gevo
Evgenia Starkova, Head of Sustainability, SkyTeam