Women make-up more than 27% of the company’s 8,000 employees
and more than 35% of the company’s senior leadership, well above nation’s industry standards
ORANGE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 8, 2024--
Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable company and member of the Iberdrola Group, is marking Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day by recognizing the many contributions of its growing female workforce. Today, women make-up more than 27% of Avangrid’s approximate 8,000 employees and more than 35% of the company’s senior leadership positions1 are held by women.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, women make-up 26% of the energy workforce, and the International Energy Agency reports that only 13% of women in the industry hold senior management roles. Avangrid rises above both of these benchmarks.
“Women are a vital source of innovation and expertise in the energy sector, and their contribution are essential to building a sustainable future,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “At Avangrid, we’re committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that empowers women to reach their full potential. I’m particularly proud to have so many talented women leaders on our team who are helping shape the future of our industry.”
Since 2021 Avangrid has increased the number of women in its executive leadership team by 25%. Avangrid’s current executive leadership team includes Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Kyra Patterson, Senior Vice President of State Government Affairs & Corporate Communications Kimberly Harriman, and Avangrid Networks President and CEO Catherine Stempien. Additionally, Avangrid’s New York subsidiaries New York State Electric & Gas and Rochester Gas and Electric are led by Patricia Nilsen, the first woman to lead a natural gas and electric utility in Upstate New York.
In 2022, Avangrid set aspirational goals to build the diversity of its workforce and put into motion several initiatives to continue advancing gender parity and creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. This included expanding mentorship opportunities, enhancing talent acquisition partnerships, and monitoring applicant pools and pipelines to consistently ensure a diverse set of candidates. Avangrid also signed on to the Paradigm for Parity, a coalition of corporate leaders committed to addressing the corporate leadership gender gap. To attract more women to open positions within Avangrid, the company also uses gender-neutral and gender-inclusive verbiage in job descriptions and partners with the Society of Women Engineers and Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy for job fairs and postings.
In addition to these initiatives, Avangrid has a business resource group—WomENergy—dedicated to increasing the visibility of women in the company. This group is open to all employees and provides community building, networking, and professional development. Their goal is to unleash the potential of women while driving business results and raising awareness of gender parity. WomENergy is chaired by Avangrid’s Vice President of Sustainability Laney Brown, who serves as the group’s executive sponsor.
“One of the many reasons I am proud to work at Avangrid is our leadership team’s commitment to gender equity,” said Brown. “We are working to ensure we are hiring, promoting, and paying women equitably – as well as fostering workplaces where women want to stay and build meaningful, long-term careers. We all share in that responsibility, and I am excited about my role in making this happen.”
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.
1
Vice President and above
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Media:
Sarah Warren
sarah.warren@avangrid.com
585-794-9253
Source: AVANGRID, Inc.
