Boston, MA, July 26, 2022 – Enel North America, a leader in clean energy and energy innovation in the US and Canada, has been recognized in the 2022 Disability Equality Index® (DEI) as one of the best places to work for disability inclusion. The DEI, a joint initiative of the American Association of People and Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN, is regarded as the most robust benchmarking tool for the Fortune 1000 and Am Law 2001. Evident of its continued commitment and improvement, Enel scored higher this year out of a larger pool of participants. Out of 415 participants, Enel is one of 18 companies from the energy industry who received a top score.  

“At Enel, we champion our people,” said Enrico Viale, Head of Enel North America. “We know that by creating equitable experiences and access for people with disabilities, we are creating an environment that leads to a higher level of innovation and greater productivity. Whether it's redesigning office common areas to improve accessibility or increasing the availability of audio descriptions for the blind and visually impaired, we aim to foster an inclusive culture that empowers our employees to bring their full selves to work and collaborate to create a more sustainable future for all." 

This accolade recognizes Enel’s ongoing priority to champion its employees and believes equal opportunities and inclusive environments are the best tools for finding sustainable solutions to today’s energy problems. Enel has added initiatives to encourage inclusivity such as incorporating voice recognition technologies to make communication easier among colleagues of all hearing abilities, installing smart sensors and proximity devices for machinery, and providing subtitles and sign language interpretation in the work environment.

"There is no single best way to practice disability inclusion, however, the companies taking the DEI share the desire to create a workplace that fosters the concept of bringing your whole self to the office," said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. "We look forward to working with all of the participants to help identify meaningful ways to build upon their current practices as we continue on the disability inclusion journey together."

Enel also acknowledges the importance of a top-down approach, starting with executive leadership, in driving disability inclusion throughout our organization. Since 2019, Enel North America’s parent company, Enel Group, has been part of the Valuable 500, a global business collective made up of 500 CEOs and their companies that innovate together for disability inclusion. Today, Enel Group announced it will join the Valuable 500’s new Generation Valuable program, a mentoring program for people with disabilities to build the future of executive leadership. Through the program, Generation Valuable participants will be paired with a mentor in the C-Suite of their organization and will conduct a deep dive into each of the Valuable 500’s transformation pillars over the course of the year. 

“We at Enel see disability as a source of inspiration for innovation and an incredible opportunity for filling gaps in the market by creating social and economic value,” said Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel Group. “Joining Generation Valuable is both an honour and an occasion to learn even more; not only to provide mentorship, but to gain a first-hand insight on what we can do better.”

In addition to the work with the Valuable 500 and Generation Valuable programs, Enel Group also launched its own Value4Disability program in 2020, which aims to empower colleagues, customers and communities where people with disabilities are present.

About Enel in North America 

Enel North America, part of the Enel Group, is a clean energy leader in North America and is working to electrify the economy by building a net-zero carbon future by decarbonizing energy supply, electrifying transportation, creating resilient grids, and promoting a just, equitable transition. Enel North America's portfolio includes over 8 GW of renewable capacity, 110,000 EV charging stations, 4.7 GW of demand response capacity and 11 utility-scale battery energy storage systems totaling 1,139 MWh of capacity under construction or in operation. The company proudly serves over 4,500 customers, which include businesses, utilities and cities. Enel operates in the US and Canada through five businesses: Enel Green Power, Enel X, Enel Energy and Commodity Management, Enel X Way and Gridspertise. Learn more about Enel North America by visiting www.enelnorthamerica.com. www.enel.com | www.enelx.com | www.enelgreenpower.com | www.evcharging.enelx.com | www.gridspertise.com

About the Disability Equality Index®

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”

The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complementary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates, developed the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org.

About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 60+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com.

About the Valuable 500

The Valuable 500 was launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in January 2019. Today the Valuable 500 is the largest community of Global CEOs committed to disability inclusion in business.

Since its creation, the Valuable 500 has achieved its initial goal of getting 500 multinational organizations to make a public commitment to disability inclusion in their organization, igniting a historic global movement for a new age of diversity in business. The Valuable 500 and their global impact partner The Nippon Foundation, will be working closely with the World Economic Forum and International Disability Alliance – bringing together a leading philanthropic organization with the most prestigious global business network and the voice of the global disability community. 

By engaging with the world’s most influential business leaders and brands, the network now has a market cap of over $23 trillion, combined revenues of over $8 trillion and employs a staggering 22 million people worldwide. Its members include 15 global CEOs and companies who will be spearheading the programs and services to be offered under Phase 2 of the transformation program.

The Valuable 500 is determined to create a community that supports and empowers its 500 members to systematically transform their businesses, so they include the 1.3 billion people living with disabilities worldwide, thereby unlocking their business, social and economic potential. 

We believe that if business takes a lead, society and government will follow. Truly inclusive businesses can build truly inclusive societies.