PG&E acknowledged for diversity

For the seventh straight year, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has been named as one of the DiversityInc Top Five Utilities by DiversityInc, one of the nation’s leading publications on diversity and business.

“At PG&E, diversity and inclusion isn’t just a core value, it’s a way of life. We serve some of the nation’s most diverse communities. Our belief in these standards help us to work together with all of our communities to build a better California,” said PG&E Vice President of Talent Management and Chief Diversity Officer Laura Butler.

While PG&E has a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, today, even more companies are recognising the value and importance diversity brings to their organisations.

“With more than 1000 companies participating, the competition for a spot on the DiversityInc Top 50 and Specialty Lists was up over 30% this year,” said DiversityInc Founder and Chief Executive Officer Luke Visconti.

Companies are evaluated within the context of their own industries. Their performance is assessed in four key areas of diversity management:

• Talent pipeline.
• Equitable talent development (including commitments to mentorship and philanthropy).
• CEO/leadership commitment.
• Supplier diversity.

Each company’s rank is based on objective analysis of 183 separate factors, based on data from a 300 question survey submitted by participating companies.

PG&E’s leadership strongly supports the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion – from an inclusive board of directors with a diverse representation, to required diversity and inclusion training for the leadership team. In addition, the utility has a history of grassroots Employee Resource Groups (ERG) that goes back more than four decades.

For the last 12 years, PG&E has been named as one of the best places to work by the Human Rights Commission, the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. In February, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Kent Harvey was named Outstanding Corporate Leader of the Year by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

The utility also has one of the nation’s top diverse supply chains. For the last three years, diverse suppliers have accounted for more than US$2 billion of PG&E’s spend and more than 40% of the utility’s spend for the second consecutive year.

PG&E’s Supplier Diversity program has received recognition from national organisations. Among the recent honors:

• In March, PG&E was named one of America’s top corporations for women’s business enterprises by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
• Last September, PG&E was named to the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) “Million Dollar Club” for spending a record US$554 million with Hispanic-owned businesses in 2013.

Adapted from press release by Hannah Priestley-Eaton

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/01052015/pge-acknowledged-for-diversity/