TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, the BlackNorth Initiative recognizes the significant public commitment from Enbridge Inc. (TSX: ENB) (NYSE: ENB) CEO Al Monaco to set ambitious diversity targets and hold himself and his leadership team accountable for increasing the number of ethnic and racial minorities within the company and linking performance against those targets to executive pay. Enbridge is one of Canada’s largest companies with a market capitalizationof $75 billion.

The ambitious goals CEO Al Monaco has made to raise the bar include the following targets:

• 20% of board members to be BIPOC
• 28% of employees to be BIPOC by 2025
• links diversity targets to executive compensation, as well as incentive compensation throughout the company, through a Short-Term Incentive Plan that all Enbridge employees are encouraged to participate in
• increase procurement from diverse suppliers and suppliers that support and invest in diversity and inclusion

“Mr. Monaco is a visionary industry leader and through his pledge to the BlackNorth Initiative, has led Enbridge to become one the first organizations to publicly announce ambitious diversity and inclusion goals that are tied to executive and employee compensation. This positive step shows not only that the business case for diversity and inclusion is strong, but that financial outperformance can be achieved by increased representation of BIPOC talent,” said Wes Hall, Founder and Chairman of the BlackNorth Initiative. “It is promising to see global corporations like Enbridge step up and commit to creating and nurturing Black talent pipelines.”

Following the signing of the CEO pledge, the BlackNorth Initiative supports signatory companies in the development of programs and initiatives focusing on increasing internships, enhanced recruitment, diverse representation in leadership programs, focused sponsorships and mentorships, representation in succession plans, and a requirement of all leaders and employees to participate in unconscious bias and anti-racism training.

“Today, it’s very clear that diverse and innovative thinking, along with inclusive teamwork, are essential to business success. That’s why I am proud to represent Enbridge’s employees in signing the BlackNorth pledge, particularly since it aligns so well with our own goals.” said Al Monaco, President and CEO, Enbridge Inc. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us as a society, but by publicly sharing our diversity and inclusion goals, driving our business to meet them and linking them to compensation, we’re putting our words into action.”

The BlackNorth Initiative believes in the importance of planning, managing, and measuring through the development of performance frameworks. This, in turn, establishes accountability, success and cost-effectiveness of any business. What gets measured gets managed. In addition to being morally imperative, diversity and inclusion strategies ensure that employees are empowered and participate in the business to their fullest potential.

For a complete list of Enbridge’s ESG goals please see Enbridge’s latest news to learn more.

About the BlackNorth Initiative

The BlackNorth Initiative was created by The Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism to combat anti-Black systemic racism in Corporate Canada. The initiative challenges senior Canadian business leaders to commit their companies to specific actions and targets designed to end anti-Black systemic racism and create opportunities for all of those in the underrepresented BIPOC community.

About Enbridge Inc.

Enbridge Inc. is a leading North American energy infrastructure company. We safely and reliably deliver the energy people need and want to fuel quality of life. Our core businesses include Liquids Pipelines, which transports approximately 25 percent of the crude oil produced in North America; Gas Transmission and Midstream, which transports approximately 20 percent of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.; Gas Distribution and Storage, which serves approximately 3.8 million retail customers in Ontario and Quebec; and Renewable Power Generation, which generates approximately 1,750 MW of net renewable power in North America and Europe. The Company's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ENB. For more information, visit www.enbridge.com.

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Chloe Mills Hill+Knowlton Strategies Ph: 416-413-4565 chloe.mills@hkstrategies.ca

Source: BlackNorth Initiative