Press Releases
05/30/2025
Avangrid Appoints Ignacio Estella to Lead Equal Opportunity Initiative
Avangrid Appoints Ignacio Estella to Lead Equal Opportunity Initiative
New appointment reflects Avangrid’s commitment to building an inclusive talent pipeline and creating fair and welcoming culture
Orange, CT — May 30, 2025 — Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced that it has appointed Ignacio Estella as Senior Vice President of Innovation, Talent, and Equal Opportunity. Under the leadership of Estella and Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra, Avangrid’s Equal Opportunity initiatives are designed to ensure that every employee, regardless of their background or identity, has the resources and support they need to succeed.
“At Avangrid we aim to create an environment that is accommodating and empowering for all employees, suppliers, customers, and community members,” Said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “Having recognized and supported inclusivity at Avangrid for many years, I am confident Ignacio is the right person to sustain and empower a fair and equal workforce.”
In this new role, Estella will be responsible for leading Avangrid’s Equal Opportunity initiatives, as well as Talent and Innovation. He is a member of the LGBTQI+ community and will continue to report directly to the Avangrid CEO as a long-time member of the company’s senior leadership team.
“I am honored and excited to lead Avangrid’s Equal Opportunity initiatives prioritizing accessibility, community building, and mutual respect”, said Avangrid SVP of Innovation, Talent, and Equal Opportunity Ignacio Estella. This position offers a chance to further cultivate an inclusive environment where different viewpoints are acknowledged, valued, and essential to driving success. As a part of senior leadership, I look forward to the unique opportunity to listen, comprehend, and empower all the people at Avangrid.”
Avangrid is an industry leader in building an inclusive and supportive working environment that ensures fair and equal hiring practices; development of skills, experiences, and opportunities for its talent; and advancing its talent to key leadership roles within the company.
Avangrid exceeds the national industry average in leadership positions exceed the national industry average for women in leadership positions; appointed NYSEG and RGE President and CEO Patricia Nielsen as the first woman to lead a utility company; created the first ever series of Utility Latino Summits throughout its service areas; and has appointed exceptional leaders from the African American community in Chief Information Officer Nelly Jefferson and United Illuminating CEO Frank Reynolds.
Avangrid is committed to creating accessible environments for individuals with disabilities, supporting veterans through our Military Friendly Employer designation, and fostering communities through seven different Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Nearly a quarter of Avangrid employees participate in one or more Employee Resource Groups, fostering community, mutual trust, and respect.
Over the last year, Avangrid’s recruitment efforts have totaled over 1,100 new hires to bring the next generation of talent into the company- one of the largest increases in company history.
Avangrid has also expanded its training program, including development offerings in alignment with collective bargaining agreements for union employees, to ensure all employees have the opportunity to continue to expand their professional growth. In total, Avangrid has expanded its trainings by 14% over the past year.
Avangrid has also demonstrated its commitment to expanding programs that improve accessibility for both employees and customers. Recognizing that nearly 1 in 4 people have a disability, the company has launched the Avangrid Accessibility Project within its Equal Opportunity department to enhance accessibility.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine and Oregon, including operations in 23 states with approximately $47 billion in assets, and has two primary lines of business: networks and power. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its power generation business, Avangrid owns and operates more than 75 energy generation facilities across the United States producing 10.5 GW of power for over 3.1 million customers. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens – in 2025 for the fifth consecutive year. The company was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2025 for the seventh consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
