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
Customer survey
Customer ombudsman
Customer panels
Consumer organisations

 

Digital panel
Quantitative survey (four per year)
Complaints and mediation (case by case)
Qualitative research (various forms)
Dialogue (various forms)

 

Collaboration, relationship management, dialogue and improved services

 

Customers

Customers - business

 

Trade associations
Energy cooperatives

 

Dialogue / relationship management (various forms)

 

Samenwerking, dialoog, verbeteren dienstverlening

 

Customers

Stakeholder Employees

 

Employee survey
Employee representation
Young employee network - Tension
Female employee network - Lianne
GBLT network - Pride
Staff Association
WENb employers' association
Foundation
Trade unions

 

Quantitative survey (quarterly)
Formal consultation (monthly)
Dialogue / workshops / meetings
Ditto
Ditto
Employee association
Employee volunteering
Periodic consultation on compensation & benefits

 

Participation, dialogue and employee engagement

 

Employees

Shareholders and investors

 

Provinces and municipalities

 

General Meeting of Shareholders Shareholders (at least once annually)
Major shareholder consultations (three times a year)
Company visits, management consultation, individual contact
Two-yearly reputation survey
Periodic newsletter

 

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
General

 

Relationship management
Working visits
Pro-active and reactive provision of information
Two-yearly qualitative survey

 

Provision of information in general
sense and on topical issues

 

All stakeholders

Regulators

 

Netherlands Authority for
Consumers & Markets
Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets
Dutch Data Protection Authority
EU Regulators

 

Periodic meetings on current topics
and issues
Standard and ad hoc requests for information

 

Inform, exchange and explain

 

Customers

  

State Suerpvision of Mines Dutch Safety Board

 

Periodic meetings on current topics
and issues
Standard and ad hoc requests for information

 

Inform, exchange and explain

 

Customers

Energy sector

 

Cedec
Energy producers/suppliers
Energy Storage Netherlands
European Distribution System Operators for electricity (Edso)
Eurelectric
Eurogas
ENCS IGU
Flexible power Alliance Network (FAN) Hier opgewekt
Netbeheer Nederland
Nedu
Tennet
Employer Association WENb

 

Board membership (monthly)
Working groups (monthly)
Stichting E-laad (continuous)

 

Knowledge exchange, partnerships,
representation of interests, cooperation

 

Customers

Suppliers

 

Contractors and industry
Suppliers of goods and services

 

Contractors' day (once a year)
Suppliers' days
Theme-based conslutations
SRP consultations
Overleg verantwoord inkopen

 

Collaboration, relationship management, dialogue

 

Financial

Knowledge institutions

 

Educational institutions and knowledge organisations
Sustainable Electrical Energy Center of Expertise

 

Collaboration with Radboud
University Nijmegen, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Regional Training Centres. Universities of Technology in Delft, Eindhoven and Twente.

 

Knowledge exchange and partnerships

 

Employees

Media

 

National, regional media

 

Relationship management
Proactive information provision
Crisis communications
Qualitative survey (every two years)

 

Information, positioning

 

All stakeholders

Civil society organisations

 

Natuur en Milieu
Nudge
Stichting de Opkikker
Nederland Cares

 

Consultation and dialogue
about project design, volunteer work (projects, ad hoc)

 

Facilitate renewable energy supply

 

Customers

  

Housing associations, developers
and businesses

 

Discussions, participation in
associations and foundations (frequent)

 

Participation, dialogue and relationship management

 

Customers

Partner relationships

 

Amsterdam Economic Board, Economic Board Arnhem Nijmegen
European Energy-Information
Sharing & Analysis Centre
Foundation rural energy services
Global Gasnetwork Initiative
Global Intelligent Utility Network coalition
Global Smart City & Community Coalition
Global Reporting Initiative
Groene Zaak
Kenniskring Amsterdam
Hier Klimaatverbond Nederland
Milieu Centraal
MVO Nederland
Nederlandse vereniging duurzame energie
Open compliance and ethics
group
Smart Energy Collective
Stichting de Energiebank
Stichting USEF
The Open Global Data
Management Community
Urgenda
Vereniging Eigen Huis
Vereniging Nederlandse Gemeenten
Woman Capital
World Economic Forum

 

Board membership, meetings,
sponsoring, strategic partnerships

 

Collaboration with knowledge
institutions, businesses and authorities, sustainability promotion, new models for innovation and societal development

 

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.