Awards
S&P Global has awarded the company its Gold Class 2021, the highest recognition reserved for companies included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), the authoritative international stock market index assessing the ESG factors of roughly 3,500 listed companied with the highest capitalisation globally.
This prestigious result was released with the publication of the Sustainability Yearbook 2021, a report that contains the results of analyses carried out for gaining access to the index last year, and the names of companies that achieved the highest sustainability scores.
In addition to Gold Class status, Hera also received special mention as "Industry mover", that is, the company that recorded the most significant improvement, rising by no less than 19 points compared to the score of 68/100 in 2019.
Following its inclusion in the FTSE MIB in 2019, Hera participated in the selection process for the DJSI and, in only 2 years, rapidly rose in the classification, being included in the World and European indices at the same time and ranking as "Industry leader", i.e. the best "Multi-utility and Water" in the world, with a score of 87/100.
Compared to the other companies assessed by the DJSI, Hera stood out in particular for its environmental and economic sustainability, and its governance. The Sustainability Yearbook 2021 gives particular emphasis to the significant results achieved by Hera in the areas identified as most challenging for its sector, such as resource management and protection, the ability to grasp market opportunities and relations with stakeholders.
To learn more: Press release
Hera's confirmation within the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index - achieving significant results, even compared to the average in the utility sector - bears witness to the quality of the path chosen by the Group, which over time has been enriched with new content and increased dimensions, involving a growing number of employees. The Hera Group stands out in particular for its transparency in providing information on these issues and its harassment prevention and sanctioning policies.
Additional proof of the Group's attention towards these issues comes from the score obtained in the 2020 Refinitiv "Diversity & Inclusion Index", where Hera is ranked 12th company in the world, 2nd in Italy and the leading multi-utility overall.
To learn more: Press release
In 2021 Hera has once again been certified as a Top Employer for its business strategies, in which attention towards human resources has always been fundamental, thanks to its best practices regarding welfare, working conditions, development and training, diversity and innovation.
The Hera Group, which continues to dedicate resources, attention and commitment to its team of over 9,000 employees, has been awarded, for the 12th consecutive year, by Top Employer 2021, an international certification of excellence in human resource management. This recognition comes from the Holland-based Top Employer Institute, which carries out research on the quality of human resource management, examining over 1,600 businesses.
The Group stands out for its organisational methods, which promote worker agility and digitalisation. An example is the smart working project launched in 2017 that created the bases for effectively addressing in 2020 the need to maintain the quality and efficiency of services, protecting at the same time the health and safety of its employees and customers.
Hera's most outstanding human resource policies include Hextra, the integrated corporate welfare plan intended for all Group employees, investments for which reached 4.5 million euro in 2020 alone. The Group also offers its employees campaigns aimed at awareness, prevention, cure, overall wellbeing and education.
To learn more: Press release
Major awards achieved:
Hera has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World and Europe, the most important and influential stock indexes linked to sustainability and managed by S&P Global.
An even more significant milestone if we consider that Hera has been recognized as the best multi-utility in the world and therefore indicated among the 61 Industry leaders in their respective sectors out of about 3500 companies evaluated.
Hera achieved an overall score of 87/100, with a gap of 5 points on the second classified and distinguishing itself above all for environmental and economic dimensions, and for its governance.
The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) is one of the world’s most authoritative stock indexes that evaluates social responsibility. Managed by S&P Global, it selects the largest companies in the world based on the best sustainability performances in all areas of ESG (environment, social, governance).
Presentation: Hera best multi-utility worldwide (2547 kb - PDF)
Press Release: Hera best multi-utility worldwide (169 kb - PDF)
Refinitiv's “Diversity & Inclusion Index”, which rewards the most committed companies to promoting diversity, inclusion and people development, assigned to Hera a score of 77 points. Twelfth overall and second Italian company in the 2020 edition, Hera ranked as the world’s leading multi-utility among over 9,000 listed companies examined globally.
This recognition proves that our company’s attention towards these issues have made it a pioneer, nationally and internationally.
The “Diversity & Inclusion Index” was conceived and is carried out by the international financial information giant Refinitiv (formerly Thomson Reuters), which analyses corporate performance based on a range of ESG (environmental, social and governance) factors. It mainly focuses on four areas: diversity, inclusion, people development and controversies published in the media.
To learn more: Press release
Hera Group, for the third consecutive year, came in first in the sustainable finance category of the 2020 Integrated Governance Index
This result rewards, once again, the Group’s abilities and its attention towards sustainability, understood as an element that contributes to creating shared value, not only for the company but above all for the communities and local areas served.
The Integrated Governance Index is a leading analysis of the degree to which ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) factors are integrated within a company’s strategy. These factors, alongside the traditional business goals pursued, bring social, environmental and governance aspects into the equation.
To learn more: Press release
Hera is now part of the FTSE4Good Index Series, a series of ethical indexes conceived by FTSE Russell to bring together the most outstanding companies that, across the world, show active commitment towards sustainable development and thus to encourage investment in companies that meet globally recognised standards in the area of social responsibility
Hera’s efforts in the area of sustainability, which have always marked its way of doing business, have thus received significant recognition once again.
Companies included in the FTSE4Good Index meet strict environmental, social and governance criteria and are therefore potentially better placed to capitalise on the benefits deriving from responsible business conduct.
To learn more: Press release
A noteworthy milestone is the 2020 TOP EMPLOYER certification, for the eleventh consecutive year.
Holland-based Top Employers Institute, which has been researching quality standards in people practices since 1991. Hera has once again been recognised for its strategy, focused on people, and its best practices in terms of welfare, workplace environment, development and training.
To learn more: Press release
Also in 2020, Hera has become part of the 2020 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, which examines 325 listed companies in 42 countries worldwide, committed to promoting and creating equal and inclusive workplaces, thanks to the development of specific policies and projects.
The Hera Group reached particularly outstanding results in the latter area, with a score of 93.94%, outdoing the best practices of international companies (whose average comes to 89.92%) and the utility sector (with an average of 92.73%).
Excellent results were also seen in the multi-utility's harassment prevention and sanctioning policies, with a score coming to 80.00% (as opposed to a national average of 57.75%, and 57.92% in the utility sector).
Lastly, Hera also achieved quite good results in "female leadership and pipeline" (52.63%) and as a "brand that recognisably supports women" (65.00%).
To learn more: Press release