Press Releases
07/19/2024
Avangrid Leads the Charge in 2024 for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Avangrid Leads the Charge in 2024 for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra joins members of the business resource group AAACE (the Avangrid African American Council for Excellence) for a flag raising to mark Black History Month.
Company reconfirms its commitment to DEI best practices and empowering a diverse workforce
Avangrid boasts a diverse workforce, including an executive leadership team made-up of 38.5% women
ORANGE, Conn. — July 19, 2024 — Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable company and member of the Iberdrola Group, is setting a new industry standard when it comes to championing an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity, promotes equity and fosters an environment where every voice is heard and valued. The company announced today its major diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) successes so far in 2024, which includes earning prestigious honors from Forbes and Disability:IN.
“It cannot be overstated how important it is to foster a workplace culture that seeks out and values diverse perspectives,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “In a time when other corporations are taking a step back, Avangrid and Iberdrola are expanding our DEI efforts to build the diversity of our workforce, advance gender parity and create a more equitable and inclusive workplace. This includes expanding mentorship opportunities, enhancing talent acquisition partnerships, and monitoring applicant pools and pipelines to consistently ensure a diverse set of candidates.”
To build, sustain and empower a diverse workforce with a rich mix of differences, Avangrid prioritizes DEI initiatives in three areas: increasing diverse representation, especially in leadership positions; promoting equitable opportunities to grow and develop; and establishing pathways for community and connection with others. Currently, Avangrid has a diverse workforce rich with employees from all backgrounds, including an executive leadership team made-up of 38.5% women.
In 2024, Avangrid has taken steps to advance DEI in the workplace. This includes:
- Collaborating with Connecticut State and Disability:IN to launch pilot program to help build a diverse talent pipeline by developing opportunities to employ visually impaired individuals.
- Growing employee participation in Avangrid’s seven business resource groups (BRGs) to its highest level since the founding of the BRGs. To date this year, nearly a quarter of all Avangrid employees are a member of at least one BRG.
- Expanding required trainings by adding a 2024 DEI Inclusion at Work module focusing on disability inclusion and allyship.
- Hosting more BRG events than ever before, with 127 events and 13 volunteering activities planned for 2024.
- Continuing Avangrid’s involvement with Paradigm for Parity, a coalition of corporate leaders committed to addressing the corporate leadership gender gap.
These efforts have earned Avangrid multiple accolades in the DEI space. In April, Avangrid was named to Forbes list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity 2024, which highlights leading companies with top diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) best practices. Mostly recently, Avangrid was named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by Disability:IN after receiving the maximum score of 100 on their 2024 Disability Equality Index.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. 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 renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth 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.