Press releases

The Group has obtained the “Gender equality certification” for its 11 largest companies, which comes as additional confirmation of Hera’s achievements in this area thanks to the commitment towards creating an inclusive and people-oriented corporate culture.

Ever since its establishment, the Group has promoted cross-cutting gender equality initiatives, from selection and recruitment to career management, from salary increases, welfare and reconciliation policies to awareness and communication projects to guarantee a corporate culture that is inclusive and free of stereotypes and prejudices.

This is an important acknowledgement for the Group, where women workforce stands at 28% with a constant growth of women in roles of responsibility, consistently with the gender breakdown: in 2022 female personnel among middle managers and executives came to roughly one third. These are significant figures for a utility company, as the workforce in this sector is traditionally male.

The introduction of a management system for gender equality, pursuant to the UNI/PdR 125:2022 reference practice, involves the measurement, reporting and evaluation of a set of indicators covering six areas: culture and strategy, governance, HR processes, opportunities for growth and inclusion of women in the company, pay equality by gender, programs for parenthood and work/life balance. This is aimed at overcoming any gaps that may currently exist and producing a sustainable and lasting change over time, thanks to a dedicated strategic plan. Following up on the actions foreseen by the UNI/PdR 125:2022 management process, the Hera Group’s Board of Directors has also approved its “Gender equality Group policy”, in order to guarantee equal opportunities in the workplace, and has appointed a Control committee to ensure that it is effectively adopted.

“The UNI/PdR 125: 2022 certifies the path we set out some time ago, whose most important stages include the signing in 2009 of the Italian “Charter for equal opportunities and equality on the workplace” and the establishment in 2011 of a Diversity management working group, made up of a cross-skills team of colleagues. This certification comes alongside our inclusion for several years in both the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and the Top100 companies of Diversity & Inclusion Index, managed by Refinitiv” remarks the Hera Group’s Executive Chairman Cristian Fabbri. “This is one further step that bears witness to the Group’s commitment and achievements in removing all barriers, including cultural ones, to assure an off-limits access to professional growth within our company also in terms of gender. This is significant for a company that wishes to provide a virtuous example, also in terms of social responsibility and fairness.”

Roberta Prati, I&F Director of Bureau Veritas Italia, states that “at an historical moment when great attention is paid to gender issues, it is fundamental for companies such as Hera, who operate in sectors with a clear male majority, to express their commitment to gender equality on the workplace. These technical environments are exactly where we expect the most significant progress to be made, thanks to a more widespread enhancement of the presence and potential of women, including in managerial roles. The indicators presented by Hera show highly interesting trends, which give us reason to hope for a fully balanced workforce in STEM disciplines as well.”