Stakeholders engagement policy
The more Snam grows and expands throughout Italy, the more it needs to communicate and interact with its stakeholders on a daily basis. This is why in an attempt to communicate proactively and engage in a continual dialogue with its stakeholders, Snam has developed over time (and continues to do so) a set of specific channels and tools for best managing these relations and always trying to create value.
Snam’s approach to stakeholder engagement aims to:
- identify the different categories of stakeholder with which the Company interacts by monitoring changes in the environment and how the business is developing;
- analyse and understand the profile of the stakeholders and the position of the Company in relation to them;
- study the interests and issues relevant to each category of stakeholder by periodically updating the materiality analysis;
- report on and periodically communicate to stakeholders the operating results relating to material issues of mutual interest by way of the Sustainability Report and any other reporting and communication tool developed by the Company.
Each corporate structure contributes to the various stakeholder engagement activities in relation to its own prerogatives, roles and responsibilities.
Stakeholder mapping
Snam updated its stakeholder map in 2015, partly because of changes to economic and operating conditions (the acquisition of a majority stake by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and the growth of the business outside Italy), taking account of the degree of mutual influence and dependency between the Snam Group and its stakeholders.
This new mapping exercise also provided an opportunity both to listen and gauge the quality of stakeholder relations and to get their perceptions on the materiality of key issues. We sent dedicated questionnaires to more than 1,000 stakeholders. A total of 305 people took part in the survey, consisting mainly of clients (132) and suppliers (74).
The stakeholders we surveyed provided a clear and fairly consistent view of the most pressing issues in the energy sector and how a large company like Snam can contribute in terms of creating value. The responses we received add further weight to the commitments Snam has made with regards to material sustainability issues.
Tools and channels of communication with stakeholders
A listening exercise that involved 1,000 stakeholders
We strengthened the Group’s online identity by revising entire sections of our website to encourage stakeholder interaction
Two customer satisfaction surveys in the transportation and storage segments
Sixth staging of the suppliers workshop
Launch of the Group’s new intranet portal
We staged 7 industry conferences enabling specialist utilities and infrastructure investors to meet the Company’s senior managers
We organised 19 road shows with the purpose of meeting shareholders and institutional investors in the leading financial centres of Europe and North America
Snam once again came third in the Comprend classification of Italian companies with the most effective online communication
We held 129 meetings with local government authorities
We compiled the first ever Snam Fact Book, an up-to-date and exhaustive collection of facts, figures and results that give operators, investors, journalists and suppliers the best possible overview of the Company and its business
We held 108 one-to-one meetings between management and investors, as well as 42 group meetings
More than 400 primary schools took part in our “Schools Project”
Snam Group: social and relationship capital enhanced by an ever stronger brand identity
Snam continued to enhance its online identity in 2015 by redesigning entire sections of its website and seeking closer integration with the Group’s social channels in order to facilitate interaction between the different platforms, make the multimedia content more accessible and reach a larger and more diverse audience. As an example, the Governance and Conduct area of Snam.it was overhauled in a bid to improve transparency and drill down into the business ethics issues and how they tie in with our governance and legislative compliance policies.
Over the course of 2015, a total of 275 articles on Snam appeared in the national and international press. We judged the content and tone of these articles to be positive or neutral in all but two cases, and the portion of articles deemed to be positive increased from 50% in 2014 to 55% in 2015. The main topics covered in the articles were corporate affairs, finance, operations and sustainability.
Breakdown of articles by topic (%)
Tools of engagement |
People |
Authorities and institutions |
Local communities and associations |
Customers |
Suppliers |
Investors and lenders |
Media |
Other operators |
Institutional documents |
Annual Report – Corporate Governance and Ownership Report – Remuneration Report – Sustainability Report – Financial statements of subsidiaries – 10-year transportation network development plan – Il Metanino report containing statistical data |
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Websites |
Websites of all Group companies with specific dedicated areas |
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Social networks |
Twitter – Youtube – Facebook – Google+ – Linkedin – Flickr – Instagram – Slideshare |
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Online areas |
Corporate intranet |
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Customer portals |
Supplier portal |
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Newsletters |
Energies and special features |
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Fact Book The Snam shareholder News&Facts Financial Markets Review Sustainability – creating shared value Corporate Social Responsibility Review |
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Relations – meetings |
Executive meetings Cascade Project Union representative meetings Workshops |
Institutional presentations in Europe and Italy Participation in EU/Italian public consultations on policy issues Parliamentary and local hearings Meetings with ANCI Meetings with local authorities Meetings with the Electricity and Gas Authority Meetings with ACER Workshops |
Public meetings Open council meetings Meetings with citizens Meetings with industry associations Participation in technical committees |
Workshop |
Workshop Exploratory meetings |
Roadshows One-to-one meetings Group meetings Conference calls Sector conferences Site visits / Investor days |
Press releases Press Conferences Conference calls Interviews |
Operational meetings |
Awareness-raising initiatives |
Objective Safety Project Health project Corporate volunteering Ecologically |
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Schools Project Sustainable Paths series Tour of Italy in 80 Bookshops “M’illumino di Libri” Calendar |
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Spreading Global Compact principles Safety award |
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Surveys |
Surveys Feedback questionnaires |
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Customer satisfaction analysis |
Feedback questionnaires Special visits Document analysis |
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