Interaction with stakeholders
In dialogue with stakeholders
Based on high-impact themes, we regularly seek to identify suitable parties for Alliander's dialogue. Engagement, size, willingness to enter into dialogue and expertise are crucial considerations in this respect. We aim to find a common approach to issues, create support for initiatives, build trust and devise solutions with added value. Both for the short and long term. We maintain a daily dialogue with our customers about their energy demands, with our shareholders about promoting sustainable solutions, and with our employees about being an employer of choice. Together with all our stakeholders, we are moving forward towards the energy supply of the future.
The Alliander stakeholder model comprises three stakeholder groups. A distinction is made between:
key stakeholders: customers, employees and shareholders & investors;
other stakeholders such as: suppliers, knowledge institutions, regulators and civil society organisations.
Contact opportunities
We conduct the dialogue with stakeholders on both an ad hoc and a structured basis. This includes the organisation of customer panels and shareholder consultations as well as meetings with the Works Council. Supplier days, knowledge and partner meetings and participation in network organisations are important forms of contact with stakeholders. We are in regular contact with politicians in the Netherlands and at the European institutions, and we also liaise with regulators.
In 2016, the Management Board embarked on a tour of all municipalities and provinces in our service area in order to engage in a dialogue about the challenges of our energy system of the future. We spoke with many local government representatives to discuss ambitions and choices in the light of climate objectives and the energy transition.
Interaction with stakeholders
Stakeholder | Organisation or platform | Type of interaction | Items for discussion | Reference | ||||
Stakeholder Customers - consumer | Web panel | Digital panel | Collaboration, relationship management, dialogue and improved services | Customers | ||||
Customers - business | Trade associations | Dialogue / relationship management (various forms) | Samenwerking, dialoog, verbeteren dienstverlening | Customers | ||||
Stakeholder Employees | Employee survey | Quantitative survey (quarterly) | Participation, dialogue and employee engagement | Employees | ||||
Shareholders and investors | Provinces and municipalities | General Meeting of Shareholders Shareholders (at least once annually) | Formal and informal consultation, knowledge and insight into activities | Shareholders and investors | ||||
Lenders, investors and credit rating agencies | Periodiek overleg en verslag over financiële prestaties (periodiek) | Accountability and commentary | Financial | |||||
Authorities | Central government and European Union | Consultation, collaboration and projects (projects, ad hoc) | Expression of interests and (pro-) active dialogue | Shareholders and investors | ||||
Provinces and municipalities | Consultatie, samenwerking, projecten (o.m. IPO en VNG) | Alignment of climate and environmental plans and projects | Shareholders and investors | |||||
Politics | Both houses of Dutch parliament, ministries, States | Relationship management | Provision of information in general | All stakeholders | ||||
Regulators | Netherlands Authority for | Periodic meetings on current topics | Inform, exchange and explain | Customers | ||||
State Suerpvision of Mines Dutch Safety Board | Periodic meetings on current topics | Inform, exchange and explain | Customers | |||||
Energy sector | Cedec | Board membership (monthly) | Knowledge exchange, partnerships, | Customers | ||||
Suppliers | Contractors and industry | Contractors' day (once a year) | Collaboration, relationship management, dialogue | Financial | ||||
Knowledge institutions | Educational institutions and knowledge organisations | Collaboration with Radboud | Knowledge exchange and partnerships | Employees | ||||
Media | National, regional media | Relationship management | Information, positioning | All stakeholders | ||||
Civil society organisations | Natuur en Milieu | Consultation and dialogue | Facilitate renewable energy supply | Customers | ||||
Housing associations, developers | Discussions, participation in | Participation, dialogue and relationship management | Customers | |||||
Partner relationships | Amsterdam Economic Board, Economic Board Arnhem Nijmegen | Board membership, meetings, | Collaboration with knowledge | Customers |
Stakeholder information and the annual report
Social trends and stakeholder dialogues form the basis for the identification of the most important themes we report on. In 2016, we entered into a dialogue about this with our stakeholders.
In addition, we requested our stakeholders to indicate the themes they wanted us to address in this report. Our stakeholders assessed the impact of social and other themes for the organisation in a quantitative materiality test. In 2016, we recalibrated the materiality of the themes based on qualitative stakeholder information.
Stakeholders tend to select themes that have a bearing on our operational activities. These include safe working practices, security of supply and employee training & development. In addition, they opt for themes enabling Alliander to distinguish itself in the future, such as the energy transition, energy saving and innovation. These outcomes were also discussed in the Management Board, which concluded that the topics indicated by the stakeholders are largely consistent with the efforts Alliander is undertaking on behalf of its stakeholders. A stakeholder panel is actively involved in determining the contents of the Annual Report and shared its impressions of the draft Annual Report 2016 directly with the Management Board.