Ignacio Galán, recognised at the UN for his promotion of clean energies
Ignacio Galán, Chairman of Iberdrola and Chairman of its US subsidiary AVANGRID, has received the prestigious Medal of Honour from the World Association of Jurists at a ceremony held at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Galán was recognised for the leadership he has shown in promoting clean energy and environmental, social, corporate governance and financial performance (ESG+F) principles. The organisation is dedicated to pursuing "a world ruled by law, not force" and works closely with governments, non-governmental organisations and international associations to foster a cooperative dialogue on global peace.
"As an engineer, I am honoured to receive this prestigious award from such a distinguished legal institution. For more than two decades, Iberdrola has focused on delivering a cleaner, safer and more efficient energy system. Our strategy is based on transparency, teamwork, accountability and professionalism, with ESG+F principles at its core. The success of the transition to a cleaner energy model will require the active participation of all governments, institutions, companies and civil society. Iberdrola will remain fully committed to contributing to the energy transition, creating value for all and ensuring best practices in corporate governance and the rule of law," said Galán.
Other Medal of Honour recipients included Stephen Breyer, Retired Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, who was presented by Bill Clinton, former President of the United States. Other distinguished recipients include King Felipe VI of Spain; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court; and Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank.
The World Association of Jurists was founded in 1963. It is a non-governmental organisation with special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Iberdrola's commitment to renewable energy and smart grids has placed it at the forefront of the energy transition. In the last two decades, the company has gone from being the 20th largest electricity company in the world to the second largest by market capitalisation, while leading the industry in climate ambition, focusing on creating a social dividend for all stakeholders.
The company has invested more than 140 billion euros during Galán's 20+ years at the helm, closing its entire capacity of 17 coal and fuel oil plants worldwide and establishing an industry-leading 40,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy capacity.
47 billion euros of planned investments between 2023 and 2025 will support the company's ambitious Climate Action Plan. Iberdrola aims to achieve carbon neutrality for Scopes 1 and 2 by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2040 for all scopes.
