Company: Sempra, San Diego, CA
Company Description: Sempra is a leading North American energy infrastructure company focused on delivering energy to nearly 40 million consumers. As owner of one of the largest energy networks on the continent, Sempra is electrifying and improving the energy resilience of some of the world's most significant economic markets, including California, Texas, Mexico and global energy market.
Nomination Category: Sustainability Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sustainability Hero of the Year - in Canada and the U.S.A.
 Nomination Title: Lisa Larroque Alexander, Chief Sustainability Officer
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since 1 January 2022, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated individual's organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 196 words used.
Sempra is a Fortune 500 energy infrastructure company with a market capitalization of $50 billion and assets of nearly $90 billion. For over 25 years, its more than 20,000 employees have served the daily energy needs of more Americans than any other utility company in the U.S.
Sempra’s mission is to build North America’s premier energy infrastructure company by elevating the role the company plays in modernizing energy infrastructure that advances sustainable business practices, while extending access to improved health, well-being and prosperity. Recently, it announced a $48 billion capital plan – the largest in the company’s history – to power its three growth platforms – Sempra California, which includes San Diego Gas & Electric Co. (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), Sempra Texas, comprised of Oncor Electric Delivery LLC and Sempra Infrastructure, which is focused on developing, building, operating and investing in energy infrastructure, such as LNG, energy networks and low-carbon solutions.
The company has seen meaningful earnings growth, including an increase of almost 16% in year-over-year revenue in 2023. Sempra is also recognized in Fortune’s Most Admired Companies, Newsweek’s America’s Most Responsible Companies and The Wall Street Journal Best Managed Companies.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the nominated individual's achievements since the beginning of 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 238 words used.
Alexander is driving Sempra’s sustainability-centered business strategy to create long-term value for shareholders and stakeholders. Under her leadership, Sempra has updated this strategy to help build a more agile, resilient and sustainable business across three main areas: Investing in safe and resilient operations, engaging people and communities and innovating for the future. Highlights of her influence and leadership include: (data is from 2023):
- Enabling the energy transition:
- 1,359MW of battery energy storage
- $600 million in green bonds issued
- Nearly $9 billion invested in critical infrastructure to deliver affordable, reliable accessible energy
- Driving resilient operations:
- $630 million in pipeline safety
- $63.5 million toward reliability
- 36% of leadership are women
- 60% of workforce are women or people of color
- 6% turnover rate, which is substantially below the industry average
- Achieving world class safety:
- Zero employee or contractor fatalities
- 17% decrease in contractor recordable incident rate
- 50% decrease in contractor lost work-time incident rate
- Championing people:
- $2.5 billion spent with diverse suppliers
- $30.5 million in contributions by Sempra, its businesses and the Sempra Foundation to local communities
- 2,700 organizations received donations of time and money, comprising nearly 40,000 volunteer hours and approximately $7 million by employees
- $27 million in strategic grants to community partners
Sempra has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index and received a Top Trendsetter rating for political accountability and transparency, by the Center for Political Accountability/Wharton’s Zicklin Institute.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominated individual's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 212 words used.
Throughout her career, Lisa Larroque Alexander has operated at the center of business transformation, innovation and growth. As chief sustainability officer for Sempra, she is forging a resilient path for shareholders, customers, employees and other stakeholders as markets around the globe transition to meet the world’s climate goals.
Alexander has championed sustainability across the company, ensuring it is at the heart of Sempra’s business strategy. As a result, she has enabled the organization to capture new business streams and deliver consistent value for its shareholders and other stakeholders. Alexander and her team continually examine different ways to cultivate sustainable business practices, including data analytics, tools and processes not only to further Sempra’s sustainability commitments, but also enhance their business outcomes. In doing so, the company aims to enhance operational activities, as well as improve reporting on the issues important to their stakeholders and be more agile in the changing energy landscape.
The achievements mentioned previously demonstrate how Alexander’s leadership and influence can be seen across Sempra’s three growth platforms, and how she is deeply engaged in all areas of the organization’s business, sharing insights about the company’s commitments to innovation around safety, the environment, ethical governance, diversity and inclusion, and how Sempra employees are serving the communities where they live and work.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 211 words used.
The following links show the depth and breadth of Alexander’s thoughtful and strategic leadership:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ5K7s7SBAs
https://www.sempra.com/newsroom/spotlight-articles/energy-trends-uncovered
https://www.sempra.com/newsroom/spotlight-articles/building-grid-future
As chief sustainability officer, she oversees the development and delivery of Sempra’s annual Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR), which provides transparency to stakeholders, including investors, employees and the public by sharing the company’s sustainability initiatives and progress on its business strategy.
The videos show Alexander’s strategic foresight and command of the energy industry, trends and shifts in the sustainability landscape as she clearly communicates their potential impact on the business and the communities where Sempra operates.
Through these various mediums, Alexander also demonstrates her expertise not only on domestic energy issues, but also her clear grasp of what’s happening in the energy sector globally. Her comments show how she is helping to lead discussions on the energy transition and how Sempra is doing so, while continuing to deliver value to its shareholders and other stakeholders.
Alexander’s leadership is clear and illustrated in the thorough and transparent reporting of the CSR, her awareness and forward thinking about trends in the industry, as well as her ability to lead and participate in discussions that are helping to shape the future of the industry on a global scale.
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