SAN DIEGO, Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra Energy's (NYSE: SRE) board of directors has received the National Association of Corporate Directors' NXT Award recognizing boards that have made transformative efforts in the areas of diversity and inclusion.
"Diversity and inclusion have been part of Sempra's DNA for decades, underpinned by our board's view that inclusive teams are essential to building a stronger and more successful company," said Jeffrey W. Martin, chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy. "It's an honor to receive this award as an acknowledgement of our progress to date and commitment to further live our values to do the right thing, champion people and shape the future."
Sempra Energy received the award due to its exemplary diversity and inclusion programs held across its family of companies. This includes launching Community Conversations, a series of employee dialogues held in the wake of racial injustice issues this summer. These dialogues, as well as strategic guidance from Sempra Energy's board of directors, accelerated the efforts to drive substantive and enduring change across the Sempra family of companies with a view toward ensuring every employee is valued, respected and enabled to reach their full potential.
Additionally, targeted volunteer and charitable giving programs are aimed at re-invigorating diverse spending goals with community partners. Sempra Energy's regulated California utilities have consistently exceeded internal goals for supplier diversity, as well as those set by the California Public Utilities Commission. Sempra Energy has been recognized as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Council and is included in Bloomberg's Gender-Equality Index.
Nominations were evaluated by an independent selection committee composed of leading corporate directors and executives. Each board is evaluated on the following criteria: strength of the organization's diversity, equity and inclusion, and/or belonging objectives; the organization's ability to define and measure the success of its diversity and inclusion objectives; board composition, culture and practices that align with the organization's diversity and inclusion objectives; how the company's diversity and inclusion initiatives permeate not only the organization internally but its external stakeholders; and how innovation was spurred based on diversity and inclusion efforts.
About Sempra Energy
Sempra Energy's mission is to be North America's premier energy infrastructure company. With more than $60 billion in total assets at the end of 2019, the San Diego-based company is the utility holding company with the largest U.S. customer base. The Sempra Energy companies' more than 18,000 employees deliver energy with purpose to over 35 million consumers. The company is focused on the most attractive markets in North America, including California, Texas, Mexico and the LNG export market. Sempra Energy has been consistently recognized for its leadership in sustainability, and diversity and inclusion, and is a member of the S&P 500 Utilities Index and the Dow Jones Utility Index. The company was also named one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" for 2020 by Fortune Magazine.
About NACD
The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) empowers more than 21,000 directors to lead with confidence in the boardroom. As the recognized authority on leading boardroom practices, NACD helps boards strengthen investor trust and public confidence by ensuring that today's directors are well prepared for tomorrow's challenges. World-class boards join NACD to elevate performance, gain foresight, and instill confidence. Fostering collaboration among directors, investors, and corporate governance stakeholders, NACD has been setting the standard for responsible board leadership for more than 40 years. To learn more about NACD, visit https://www.nacdonline.org/.
SOURCE Sempra Energy
