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Awards for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion confirm Hera's vertical excellence, as part of a solid ESG position that extends over 360 degrees

Last May, Hera was awarded the Gold Seal Award 2025 by Equileap, the world's leading workplace equality performance analysis company: a benchmark used by international institutional managers with assets under management exceeding 9 billion USD. Hera entered the 2025 Top 10 in the Utilities sector and ranked ninth overall for its ESG performance, among 6,000 companies evaluated. Hera climbed those rankings mainly due to progress in terms of equal pay, effectively overcoming any gender pay gap based on 2024 data; another factor was the adherence to the principles of UN Women - the United Nations agency dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment.

Moreover, in October, Hera was included in the global Top 10 of the FTSE Russell Diversity & Inclusion Index, ranking tenth overall and first among Italian companies. As part of an assessment that this year involved more than 16,500 listed companies globally, Hera has therefore been ranked among the 100 most inclusive companies in the world for the tenth consecutive year. FTSE Russell, a London Stock Exchange Group company formerly known as Refinitiv, issued the ranking on the back of 24 indicators derived from publicly available data of the companies assessed. Those indicators cover diversity, inclusion, people development and absence of significant controversies.

Finally, it is worth noting that Hera has been a constant presence in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index since 2020.
These awards on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) issues are part of a broader framework of very favourable assessments achieved by ESG agencies that are highly considered by global asset managers: therefore, they can guide both their investment decisions and their voting decisions at Shareholders' Meetings.
Hera is recognised as the undisputed leader in its sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, both at European and global level. Sustainalytics also ranks it among the top-rated companies globally in ESG risk management. Finally, S&P Global included Hera again this year, for the fifth consecutive time, in the Top 1% segment of the Multi- & Water-Utility sector in its Sustainability Yearbook.
 

These ratings from the most reputable ESG
agencies prove the top-level position that Hera
has achieved and consolidated over time.

Behind these results, the serious commitment that Hera has built over the years
Given the broad consensus among external assessors, when focusing on the excellence achieved in DE&I issues, it is interesting to understand the spirit with which Hera had originally shaped its policies and the initiatives implemented to turn them into reality.
External recognition reflects Hera's long-standing commitment, based on a clear vision of how business should be conducted to create real value for stakeholders.

A working environment inspired by fairness, inclusion,
and commitment to the development of
human capital was conceived as the basis for establishing
an organisational model of authentic sustainable culture.
 

Hera 's journey began in 2009 - with the formal signing of the Charter for Equal Opportunities and Equality in the Workplace - and reached a milestone in 2011, with the appointment of a Diversity Manager. Over time, the Company's adherence to numerous national and international manifestos, including those promoted by the United Nations and the UN Global Compact, proved the seriousness of its commitment in this area.

The strategic objectives took shape from the certification on the Gender Equality Policy 
Another key step was the achievement, in 2023, of UNI/PDR 125:2022 Gender Equality Policy certification, which covers 11 companies inside the Group. A strategic plan was then developed, divided into 16 targets related to the areas covered by the gender equality certification, which were fully met in 2024.

The areas in which KPI improvements were planned and achieved are the selection and recruitment process, career management, pay equity, work-life balance, parenting and care, as well as activities to prevent all forms of physical, verbal and digital abuse in the workplace.
In tangible terms, this resulted in a greater management’s awareness of the gender pay gap and the factors behind turnover trends by gender, as well as greater dissemination of the internal culture throughout the entire company population about gender equality issues. Parenting initiatives also saw the creation of a specifically dedicated digital environment that promotes a better use of the initiatives themselves. In 2024, with the aim of raising awareness of DE&I issues, Hera also launched an “Inclusive Language” programme, which continued in 2025 and involved all staff.
 

The journey towards ever greater
gender equality therefore continues.

Already in 2021, Hera also adopted a formal Anti-Discrimination Policy covering sexual orientation, race, religion and disability, which was then integrated in 2025 to strengthen accessible and barrier-free management of both physical and cognitive disabilities. The commitment to follow equal pay practices, thus remunerating people who performed at work in the same way regardless of gender, is one of the chapters of the Good Work Pact - the real flagship of Hera's industrial relations, studied and analysed at international level as an organisational model of agreement with trade unions, capable of projecting the company into the future. Finally, Hera is a founding member of the PARI network “Together against gender-based violence” to prevent harassment/violence, promote safe working environments, and consolidate a culture of respect.
 

Results are tangible, not only in terms of spreading a new, increasingly inclusive culture, but also in terms of continuously improving KPIs

If we look at the metrics emerging from the latest 2024 Report, we can see that this journey undertaken by Hera a long time ago has led to real changes, which today provide a picture that is widely different from that of about 15 years ago, when the Group began to develop its DE&I policies.
These metrics not only confirm Hera's progress towards optimal DE&I policies but also paint a very flattering picture compared to the reference context. Hera data show that women represent 28.3% of the total workforce, compared to an average of 21.1% in the energy and utilities sector in Italy and 24.8% in the European Union (source: Quotidiano Energia).  
 

Hera’s commitment proved effective also in closing the gender pay gap
Every year, a third party conducts an assessment on pay equity issues, which leads to the identification of actions beneficial to closing any gaps. This way, Hera managed to fully comply with meritocratic criteria and maintain the UNI/PDR 125:2022 certification, achieved in 2023, even in 2024.
 

Policies work because of a governance structure designed to enable them
With the aim of promoting a smooth chain of transmission in the implementation of DE&I policies, Hera also linked individual performance evaluations and variable remuneration structures to actual success, as measured by annual metrics. Professional development and DE&I performance metrics are part of the balanced scorecard system, which covers 98.8% of Hera’s management and middle management. In 2024, 37% of variable remuneration for senior and middle management was linked to sustainability project targets.
 

Hera's remuneration incentive system
motivates people to achieve DE&I objectives.

The benefits of this virtuous yet demanding approach are increasingly more evident. 
To be an inclusive organisation, offering equal opportunities to everyone and rewarding merit regardless of individual characteristics, allows Hera to attract the most brilliant and promising resources, retain and cultivate them over time. Even for those who have been with Hera for several years, the certainty of fair treatment makes the work something that is worth investing efforts in. Lastly, diversity offers a wealth of perspectives, which helps to find new solutions in a changing world. 
 

This way, Hera’s reputational capital results
in being strengthened in the eyes of customers,
partners, and, not least, its investors.