Enel recognized by Refinitiv Index as world diversity and inclusion leader in “electric utilities and independent power producers” industry group

Enel leads the Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index’s “Electric Utilities & IPPs” Industry Group, ranking 17^th in the Top 100 of the Index developed by global financial data provider Refinitiv. The index assesses over 7,000 companies for their diversity and inclusion performance based on publicly available information gathered by Refinitiv from companies’ institutional reporting and media coverage.

“Diversity is a driver of business growth through the innovative ideas and approaches it inevitably generates,” said Francesco Starace, Enel CEO and General Manager. “The diversity of backgrounds across our 30-country footprint is one of our most valuable and cherished assets. As a result, our presence within the Top 25 of Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, at the helm of the electric utilities industry group in 2020, demonstrates that the principles of equal opportunities and equal dignity, which are embedded in our daily operations worldwide, are key for the success of our sustainable business model. Our wealth of diversity continues to attract the increasing attention of investors willing to integrate diversity and inclusion into their investment decisions.”

The Diversity and Inclusion Index ranks the top 100 publicly traded companies with the most diverse and inclusive workplaces globally, as measured by 24 metrics across four key categories: Diversity, Inclusion, People Development and Controversies. The Index is then calculated by weighing each metric based on the company’s importance in the market and how each business compares with its peers.

Enel’s inclusion in this ranking is a result of its actions aimed at promoting the presence of women in the Board of Directors and in management positions, as well as promoting the integration of employees with disabilities, enhancing employee’s skills training and bringing social benefits and work-life balance solutions across all of its employees.

With a presence in more than 30 countries, diversity and inclusion are central to Enel’s corporate culture and strategy. The Group adopted a Human Rights Policy in 2013, a specific policy to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace in 2015 as well as a Global Workplace Harassment Policy in 2019. These actions follow the adherence to the Women’s Empowerment Principles, backed by the UN Global Compact and UN Women, and are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that Enel proactively supports.

These commitments are put into practice through the development of innovative solutions to promote diversity and inclusion across Enel’s entire value chain. In particular, disability is one of the priority areas in Enel’s approach to diversity and for this reason the Group joined the “Valuable 500” initiative, a global movement calling for the participation of 500 private companies aimed at unlocking the business, social and economic value of people living with disabilities across the world. Among other projects, Enel is extending to other countries the App Pedius for deaf people, initially launched in Italy and based on “speech to text” recognition and synthesis technology. The support of this app is key to deaf colleagues in the daily management of virtual meetings and coordination across 19 countries. Thanks to this app, a deaf employee can now coordinate all robotized activities, including drones, that are being used in the operation and maintenance of Enel’s renewable power plants through the “RoBoost program”.

Refinitiv is one of the world’s largest providers of financial markets data and infrastructure, serving over 40,000 institutions in approximately 190 countries. It provides data and insights, trading platforms, and open data as well as technology platforms, connecting the global financial markets community. 

Enel’s sustainability leadership is globally acknowledged through the Group’s presence in several other renowned sustainability indices as well as rankings, such as the MSCI ESG Leaders Indices, Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, CDP Climate “A” List, the Euronext Vigeo-Eiris 120 indices, the FTSE4Good Index series, the STOXX Global ESG Leaders index,  the ISS “Prime” rating, the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, the Equileap Gender Equality in Europe Ranking, the Corporate Knights Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World ranking, the ECPI indices and the Thomson Reuters/S-Network ESG Best Practices Indices.

Enel is increasingly attracting the attention of Socially Responsible Investors, whose stake in the company is steadily growing, representing about 10.8% of the Group’s share capital in 2019, almost double compared to 2014 levels. This increase, which is in line with the growing recognition of the importance of non-financial elements in the creation of long-term sustainable value, reflects the bolstering of Enel’s global sustainability leadership.