International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: E.ON’s commitment to an inclusive future

At E.ON, diversity, equity, and inclusion is simply part of who we are. Through our people, our policies and our culture, we are committed to breaking barriers, amplifying diverse voices, and taking actionable steps towards a truly equitable workplace.  Our colleague-led networks are central to our growth as a company. By connecting across different networks — including race, gender, and more — E.ON supports the diverse backgrounds and experiences of its colleagues, ensuring everyone feels valued and understood.

embRace: driving meaningful change

Our embRace network is central to our mission of fostering open conversations about race and ensuring an inclusive culture at E.ON. The network’s strategic focus spans across five key areas:

1. Celebrating cultural and religious diversity
Representation matters and embRace is dedicated to organising impactful events that celebrate different cultures and faiths. Through virtual and in-person gatherings, we engage over 1,000 employees annually, raising awareness about intersectionality and ethnicity-related challenges. To support colleagues of various faiths, E.ON has organised webinars featuring representatives from major religions in the UK, sharing insights on how they celebrate their respective religious festivals.

2. Effective communication and awareness
Education is a powerful tool in challenging discrimination, and embRace excels at sharing stories and experiences that foster empathy, enhance understanding, and amplify visibility for relatable role models.

Our communication strategy ensures that employees stay informed through:
• Regular posts about cultural events and progress made on key issues relating to colleagues’ ethnicity, such as progression and the ethnicity pay gap awareness
• Increasing engagement on our key internal communication platforms
• Celebrating external recognition and awards to help inform, educate and inspire our own colleagues and to encourage other organisations to follow a similar path

3. Amplifying employee voices
At E.ON, we believe every employee should have a platform to share their experiences, and we have a number of different ways in which colleagues can ensure their views are heard, understood and acted upon where relevant.

embRace has also relaunched its ambassador programme — a group of 20 dedicated colleagues who volunteer to provide a safe space for sharing experiences and addressing any difficulties individuals may face due to their backgrounds.

For example, by relaunching the embRace ambassador network, sharing colleague testimonials, and producing podcasts, we ensure that diverse perspectives are not only heard, but valued.

4. Removing barriers to development
Professional growth should be accessible to all. To support the career progression of ethnically diverse employees, embRace has:

• Launched Cohort 2 of the ‘embRace Your Talent’ initiative which seeks to improve promotion rates and increase representation of ethnic minority colleagues at all levels by providing critical skills for career planning and development. So far, we’ve seen an improvement in confidence, belonging and career mobility.
• Increased participation in career development programmes. Over 3,500 colleagues participate in our five inclusive development networks and over 27% are ethnically diverse, demonstrating the power of our inclusive approach that enables all colleagues to grow and develop.
• E.ON has partnered with an external organisation, The Network of Networks, for the second consecutive year. Through their development programme, colleagues receive valuable training to overcome key barriers, supported by sponsorship and mentorship.

5. Expanding internationally: The Essen chapter
Diversity knows no borders. With the launch of embRace in E.ON Essen in Germany, we are implementing international collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and creating a global network of inclusion advocates.

Nicola Dormer, Customer Experience & Improvement Lead nBS and Chair of the embRace network says: ‘"The embRace network is more than just a platform—it's a movement dedicated to breaking barriers, amplifying diverse perspectives, and creating a progressive workplace. On this International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, let's commit to challenging biases and championing inclusion, not just today, but every day."

A call to action every day

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is more than just a date on the calendar — it’s a reminder of the progress we have made and the work still to be done.

At E.ON, we stand committed to challenging biases, advocating for fair representation, and creating an environment where everyone belongs.