MAPFRE honors Schneider Electric for its work in promoting employment inclusion for people with disabilities

MAPFRE has presented its 2025 MAPFRE Inclusión Responsable Award to Schneider in recognition of the company's commitment to promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The award was accepted by Javier Figueras, Vice President of the Industrial Automation Division for Schneider Electric's Iberia region, during the 6th MAPFRE Sustainable Finance Observatory Forum. MAPFRE highlighted the company as a "Leader" based on its annual survey of companies within the MAPFRE AM Inclusión Responsable Fund portfolio, a mutual fund supporting firms dedicated to inclusive employment practices for people with disabilities.

"MAPFRE is committed to all pillars of sustainability-environmental, governance, and social. But our greatest focus is on the social pillar, because it is the one that most directly transforms people's lives and where a company like ours has the greatest capacity to contribute," emphasized Elena Sanz, CEO of MAPFRE Iberia.

The panel awarding this distinction underscored the progress Schneider has made in advancing employment inclusion for people with disabilities. For example, the Group plans to hire at least 100 people with disabilities in France over the next three years, improve both physical and digital accessibility, and strengthen support for union representation. In 2023, this commitment resulted in the hiring of 24 individuals with permanent contracts, 23 apprentices, and eight interns.

"We view diversity and inclusion as essential pillars for building a fairer, more innovative, and more sustainable company," said Figueras. "Our aspiration is to become the most inclusive company in the world and, therefore, a reflection of the society in which we live. This recognition fills us with pride because it reaffirms our commitment to promoting employment inclusion for people with disabilities, both in Iberia through our supported employment units and internal initiatives, and across the entire Group. We'll continue working to create accessible environments and provide opportunities that allow every person to reach their full potential. This award encourages us to keep building a culture where differences are valued and inclusion becomes both a human and a competitive strength."

Schneider Electric is part of The Valuable 500 and has set concrete targets related to representation, training, ESG indicators, employee support through affinity groups, and accessibility. The Group was also recognized in 2024 by the Disability Equality Index as one of the leading employers for disability inclusion.

MIR 2025 Recognition

The MAPFRE Inclusión Responsable Recognition was also presented during the Forum, which represents a way for the investors in the MAPFRE Inclusión Responsable mutual fund to acknowledge not-for-profit organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to people with disabilities. This year's recognition went to Fundación Lesionado Medular.

The foundation promotes the inclusion of people with spinal cord injuries in all areas of life. It has operated a day center since 2000 and inaugurated its current residential facility in 2007. It also runs a training center and provides multidisciplinary treatment-with specialties in neurology and neurorehabilitation-and maintains partnership agreements with the National Paraplegic Hospital and other centers in the Madrid region.

The Forum featured two roundtable discussions in which experts shared their perspectives on the importance of financial education for inclusion, as well as the role of public-private collaboration in social-impact initiatives. Carlos San Basilio, Chair of the Spanish National Securities and Exchange Commission, delivered the closing remarks.

The MAPFRE Sustainable Finance Forum stems from the mission of the MAPFRE Sustainable Finance Observatory to serve as a meeting point for leading academic institutions and to promote the development of financial instruments, insurance products, and pension solutions that meet socially responsible investment criteria.

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

MAPFRE is committed to closing social gaps by developing people's talent and fostering a diverse and inclusive culture free from generational, cultural, gender-based, or sexual-orientation barriers. The company believes that businesses committed to diversity and inclusion enhance competitiveness, employee motivation, and team creativity. Currently, a total of 1,090 employees with disabilities across 27 countries-3.9% of the workforce-work at MAPFRE, 97% of them with permanent contracts and 93% full-time.

Inclusion is a core component of MAPFRE's 2024-2026 Sustainability Plan, which includes measures to strengthen the inclusion of people with disabilities within the company, improve their quality of life and that of their families, and promote employment inclusion through investment-particularly through initiatives such as the MAPFRE Inclusión Responsable mutual fund.