“We at Ameren are honored to be named to DiversityInc’s Hall of Fame. For more than two decades, our team has made an explicit commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion within our company and in the communities we serve. It is a value that we believe is foundational to our mission to power the quality of life. We are honored to be recognized in the company of other Hall of Fame leaders and look forward to sharing best practices with them as we all work together to create vibrant cultures and communities.”
Ameren’s goal of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion is captured in our DE&I mission: ‘We drive a culture of inclusion and power the quality of life by eliminating barriers to people achieving excellence.’ Our work to eliminate some of those barriers builds upon the tenants of our culture: We Care, We Serve with Passion, We Deliver, and We Win Together. Everything we do is centered around people and a passion for offering the best to our customers, communities and co-workers, knowing that without a diverse workforce and suppliers, without an inclusive environment for our co-workers, and without equitable treatment in our communities, we cannot live our values or accomplish our goals.”
From The Company
At Ameren, our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) journey begins with our mission. We Power the Quality of Life not only through the energy we provide but also through our engagement with and support of the communities and people we serve. Since 2014, our DE&I efforts have centered around courage. Being courageous means taking bold action and doing what you know is right, no matter what. We have enhanced, developed and implemented programs and initiatives that support and demonstrate courage in all aspects of life, including work, home, and in our communities.
We’ve taken steps to execute our DE&I initiatives in alignment with our corporate mission, vision, values and strategy. We are building a more diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve, expanding economic opportunities that cater to the diverse needs of our communities and engaging in numerous partnerships with educational institutions and professional organizations that support the underprivileged and the underserved. Ameren actively develops partnerships with colleges, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), trade schools, secondary institutions and employability-focused organizations. Through these partnerships, we increase our focus and connection with underrepresented talent in the areas of skilled craft, engineering and STEM disciplines, helping to build a strong diverse pipeline ready to meet current and future business needs.
We are making meaningful investments in diverse-owned businesses and significant philanthropic and in-kind contributions to organizations that serve critical human needs. At Ameren, we recognize that cultivating diverse business relationships is a catalyst to our success. As a result of our efforts, we increased the amount of business that we direct to diverse suppliers in key areas of our supply chain including sourcing, materials management, warehousing, logistics, and procurement. In 2022, we spent approximately $1.1 B with diverse suppliers, a 22% increase over 2021. We believe we are only as strong as the communities we serve. A large part of that strength comes from our continuing commitment to investing in nonprofits throughout our service territories that are having a positive impact on all of our customers. In 2022, we made more than $11.5 million in philanthropic contributions. Additional, nonmonetized giving that has contributed to our communities outside of direct philanthropy include Energy Assistance and Energy Efficiency donations of more than $183 million in monetary and in-kind contributions to a variety of organizations that align with our philanthropic vision to build a region with thriving economic development, a skilled workforce, equitable education attainment, flourishing biodiversity, and access to health and wellness.
While we are proud of our achievements, we are committed to continuous improvement and doing better every day. Ameren employees have consistently demonstrated the courage to do what is right and, with teamwork and a steadfast resolve to courageously live our values, specifically diversity, equity and inclusion, we are confident we will make significant progress toward our goal of advancing DE&I at Ameren and in our communities.
About Ameren Corporation
St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric transmission and distribution service and natural gas distribution service. Ameren Missouri provides electric generation, transmission and distribution services, as well as natural gas distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois operates a rate-regulated electric transmission business in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. For more information, visit Ameren.com.