Stakeholder Engagement

GRI102-42

The Gazprom Group maintains engagement of various stakeholder groups. The main engagement principles are inclusivity, materiality, impact and responsiveness as set out in the internationally recognized AA1000 Accountability Principles (AA1000AP, 2018) and AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard (AA1000SES, 2015).

 

Inclusivity Taking into account Gazprom’s stakeholders’ points of view as to the significance and impact of a particular matter in order to enable the Group to develop an expedient and commensurate response method
Materiality Identifying and ranking relevant and significant matters and underlying factors that make an impact on Gazprom and its stakeholders
Impact Monitoring, measuring and assessing the impact of Gazprom’s principles, activities and results of operations on the economy, environment, society, stakeholders and the Group itself
Responsiveness Taking into account material topics and corresponding impacts in making decisions, taking actions and planning day-to-day operations of the Gazprom Group (including communications)
The Gazprom Group identifies ten stakeholder groups:
GRI102-40
  • shareholders;
  • investors;
  • business partners;
  • personnel;
  • government and local authorities;
  • local communities;
  • foreign regulators of energy markets;
  • NGOs and educational institutions;
  • media;
  • consumers.

The main channels to inform stakeholders are press releases and responses to media requests, press trips, press conferences and media scrums, publications on the official web site, and social media. PJSC Gazprom has official accounts on popular global social networking sites: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Sina Weibo. Available in four language segments of the internet (Russian, English, German and Chinese), the Company’s accounts are used to inform the audience and receive feedback through comments, as well as and to maintain a dialogue with stakeholders using public responses to comments and personal correspondence.

It was for the first time that the Company held public consultations on the draft Report with a view to ensuring that the disclosed information better meets stakeholder inquiries and requests. 13 stakeholder representatives took part in online consultations; 94 comments were received, including 51 requests to provide additional data in the Report and 25 clarifying questions to the information contained in the Report. In the course of the public consultations, the stakeholder representatives received explanations on 49 comments, and 10 comments found a direct reflection in this Report. 35 comments received will be handled by the Task Force for the Report preparation at its meeting in the following reporting period.

GRI102-42

When preparing the Sustainability Report 2019, the Gazprom Group for the first time analysed the mutual impact of the Company and its stakeholder groups. The results of the survey conducted among the Task Force members formed the basis for the stakeholder mapping that shows: (1) the degree to which the Company’s operations impact stakeholders’ decisions and actions and (2) the degree to which stakeholders’ decisions and actions impact the Company’s operations. The Task Force members ranked both indicators on a three-point scale from 1.0 (low degree) to 3.0 (high degree) based on their own experience and competencies. The survey covered 24 people.

 

The data chart for stakeholder groups mapping

1 — Shareholders

2 — Business partners

3 — Foreign regulators of energy markets

4 — Investors

5 — Local communities

6 — NGOs and educational institutions

7 — Government and local authorities

8 — Personnel

9 — Consumers

10 — Media

The system of stakeholder engagement at the Gazprom Group
GRI102-43

Stakeholder groups

Corporate Units / Bodies Responsible for Engagement

Engagement Mechanisms

Examples of Engagement in 2019

 

Shareholders

 
  • Coordinating Committee for Shareholder and Investor Relations of PJSC Gazprom
  • PJSC Gazprom unit performing the Corporate Secretary functions
  • Relevant units of PJSC Gazprom
 
 
  • Implementation of the Shareholder and Investor Relations Action Plan(1)
  • In-person events and teleconferences
  • Information disclosure
  • Responses to inquiries as part of annual General shareholders meetings
  • Correspondence with shareholders on emerging issues
  • Online (audio and video conferences) and offline communications 
 
 
  • Annual General Shareholders Meeting
  • Correspondence with shareholders on emerging issues
  • Telephone calls
  • Quarterly and annual teleconferences, press conferences and road shows
  • Meetings of PJSC Gazprom’s independent directors, PJSC Gazprom leadership and authorized representatives of the Company with shareholders at the Company offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg and abroad
  • Information disclosure in the form of the Issuer’s Quarterly Reports, Annual Report, Environmental Report and Gazprom Group’s Sustainability Report, and financial statements under the IFRS and RAS
  • Publishing databooks “Gazprom in Figures”, “Analyst Data Book” (Gazprom Neft), “Gazprom Neft Statistic Data”, and “Gazprom Energoholding Group of Companies in Questions and Answers”
  • Placing the Group’s key projects overviews and corporate periodicals, including Gazprom magazine, in the public domain
 
 

Investors

 
  • Coordinating Committee for Shareholder and Investor Relations
    of PJSC Gazprom
  • PJSC Gazprom unit performing the Corporate Secretary functions 
  • Relevant units of PJSC Gazprom
 
 
  • Implementation of the Shareholder and Investor Relations Action Plan
  • In-person events and teleconferences
  • Information disclosure 
  • Responses to inquiries
  • Participation in investor meetings
  • Road shows
  • Online (audio and video conferences) and offline communications
 
 
  • Gazprom’s Investor Day (Hong Kong and Singapore, 2019)
  • Meetings of PJSC Gazprom leadership and authorised representatives of the Company with investors at the Company offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg and abroad
  • Independent directors’ meetings with investors, in particular on the ESG(2) matters
  • Quarterly and annual teleconferences, press conferences, road shows 
  • Information disclosure in the form of the Issuer’s Quarterly Reports, Annual Report, Environmental Report, Gazprom Group’s Sustainability Report, financial statements under the IFRS and RAS, and PJSC Gazprom’s Management Report
  • Publishing databooks “Gazprom in Figures”, “Analyst Data Book” (Gazprom Neft), “Gazprom Neft Statistic Data”, and “Gazprom Energoholding Group of Companies in Questions and Answers”
  • Off-site meetings of the leadership with investors at the key production facilities of the Group
  • Placing the Group’s key projects overviews and corporate periodicals, including Gazprom magazine, in the public domain
 
 

Business partners

 
  • Relevant units of PJSC Gazprom
  • Relevant units of subsidiaries
 
 
  • Contractual relations
  • Cooperation agreements
  • Joint Coordination Committees and Joint Task Forces between PJSC Gazprom and Russian and foreign partners
  • Conferences and forums
  • Industry unions and associations
  • Pre-qualification of prospective suppliers and contractors
 
 
  • Participation in economic and energy forums and conferences (ADIPEC, Flame, European Gas Conference, International Conference & Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas LNG 2019, GASTECH Exhibition & Conference, World Petroleum Congress, World Energy Congress, St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, St. Petersburg International Gas Forum, Eastern Economic Forum, Russian Energy Week, “Russia – EU Energy Cooperation Outlook. Gas Aspect”, etc.)
  • Meetings of Joint Coordination Committees and Joint Task Forces held by PJSC Gazprom and business partners and focused on key areas of collaboration
  • Collaboration and business meetings with Russian and international oil and gas companies 
  • 668 companies, including 461 SMEs, were included in the Gazprom Group’s Register of Potential Bidders as of February 1, 2020 after the pre-qualification procedure
 
 

Personell

 
  • Department in charge of HR management
 
 
  • System of internal communications
  • Feedback
  • Top management addresses to employees
  • Satisfaction surveys
  • Organizing aassessment, training and professional development 
 
 
  • Conferences to summarize the results of implementation of the General Collective Agreement of PJSC Gazprom and its subsidiaries(3)
  • Workshop meetings for personnel of HR departments
  • Regular meetings of the representatives of the workforce and the management to resolve the topical issues
  • Group’s sport events (sports and athletic contests of PJSC Gazprom and its subsidiaries)
  • Training newly hired employees under the onboarding professional development programs
 
 

Government and local authorities

 
  • Department in charge of government relations in the Russian Federation 
  • Regional Policy Commission
 
 
  • Signing agreements with the regions of the Russian Federation
  • Presentations on the Gazprom Group’s activities to senior government officials
  • Cooperation under business contracts, agreements and partnership memoranda
 
 
  • Signing agreements and memoranda on cooperation with the constituent entities of the Russian Federation (the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, Komi Republic, Arkhangelsk Region, Vologda Region, Orenburg Region, Sakhalin Region, St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region)
  • Participation in parliamentary hearings, forums, round tables and task forces held by the federal and regional executive authorities and public organizations
  • Events involving representatives of federal executive authorities to raise their awareness of PJSC Gazprom operations
  • Participation in the development of roadmaps
  • Participation in expert review of draft laws, preparation of proposals, comments and amendments thereto
  • Implementation of the Gas Infrastructure Expansion Program in the regions of the Russian Federation, including the holding of conferences and meetings on gas infrastructure expansion issues
  • Cooperation with regional governments of Russia under agreements on promoting the use of natural gas as motor fuel
 
 

Local communities

 
  • Relevant units of PJSC Gazprom
  • Regional Policy Commission
  • Environmental departments of subsidiaries 
  • PR departments of subsidiaries
 
 
  • Open public hearings
  • Information centers
  • Information disclosure
  • Charity and sponsorship projects
  • Series of environmental awareness events
  • Group-wide and areas-of-operation opinion surveys
  • Signing contracts to assist non-profit organizations and public law institutions 
 
 
  • Holding public hearings on environmental impact assessment 
  • Charity and volunteering (annual support of culture and arts, projects to preserve historic and cultural heritage, professional and amateur sports, education, healthcare, urban infrastructure development projects; implementation of the Gazprom for Children and Football for Friendship programs, annual New Year action run by PJSC Gazprom for children who need social support)
  • Cooperation with representatives of indigenous minorities of the North (organization of national festivals; preservation of lifestyle, traditional habitat, national crafts, etc.)
  • Sponsorship activities and charity (e.g. signing a contract to make a donation to Irkutsk Regional Branch of the Russian Red Cross for restoring the areas affected by floods)
  • Implementation of social investment programs
 
 

Foreign regulators of energy markets

 
  • Department in charge of foreign economic activity
  • Relevant units of subsidiaries
 
 
  • International energy conferences and activity of international organizations
  • Participation in the development of roadmaps
  • Preparation of the energy sector’s regulatory documents
  • Disclosure of information and consultations
 
 
  • Membership in international industry associations
  • Participation in negotiations on supplies, uninterrupted and safe transportation of natural gas, construction of new cross-border facilities of energy infrastructure and their regulation, development of natural gas use as motor fuel, reinforcement of the role of natural gas as a source of energy that could enable transition to low-carbon economy
  • Participation in a number of public consultations on key issues of the European energy market development such as implementation of the EU climate policy aimed at decarbonisation (Bridge Beyond 2025); participation in the Workshop on Supply Potentials and Market Related Assumptions held by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas
  • Engagement with energy regulators of the markets covered, as well as with relevant gas transmission system operators on issues of European and national energy legislation, including pricing of transportation services and other operational aspects related to gas transportation
  • Participation in economic and energy forums and gas and energy conferences (ADIPEC, Flame, European Gas Conference, International Conference & Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas LNG 2019, GASTECH Exhibition & Conference, World Petroleum Congress, World Energy Congress, St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, St. Petersburg International Gas Forum, Eastern Economic Forum, Russian Energy Week, “Russia – EU Energy Cooperation Outlook. Gas Aspect”, etc.)
  • Submission of regular reporting materials which cover the terms of signed gas supply contracts and addenda thereto and provide updates on actual gas supplies to the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and Energie-Control Austria (E-Control)
 
 

NGOs and educational institutions

 
  • Relevant units of PJSC Gazprom
  • Environmental departments of subsidiaries 
  • PR departments of subsidiaries
  • Social services and units of subsidiaries
 
 
  • Joint programs and research activities
  • Open public hearings
  • Information disclosure
  • Membership in public and expert associations
  • Conferences, on-the-job training and internship programs
  • Development of training materials and learning aids
  • Secondary vocational and higher education institutions
  • Сooperation with designated universities
 
 
  • Participation in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the initiative of the international investor community on disclosure of information on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change risks 
  • Participation in industry events for young people (young scientists, specialists and students of Russian and international universities)
  • Setting up special classes at secondary schools, opening specialized departments at Russian universities
  • Organization of work experience practice for students of secondary vocational education institutions and higher education institutions at subsidiaries
  • Organization of secondments of teachers from higher education institutions at subsidiaries
  • Public assurance of the Gazprom Group’s Sustainability Report 2019 by the Council on Non-Financial Statements of the RUIE
 
 

Media

 
  • Department in charge of information and communication policy
  • PR departments of subsidiaries
 
 
  • Information disclosure 
  • In-person events and teleconferences
  • Responses to inquiries
  • Development of official web sites and other means of communication
  • Implementation of joint projects with the media
  • Holding of events for representatives of blogger community 
  • Implementation of PJSC Gazprom’s own special projects
 
 
  • 321 official press releases
  • 25 press conferences and briefings
  • 10 interviews with the top management of PJSC Gazprom
  • 17 press tours to PJSC Gazprom’s production sites and gas transportation infrastructure facilities
  • About 1,000 explanations, comments and answers to journalists’ questions
  • 7 online and offline media events 
  • 5 tours with the participation of 26 bloggers to PJSC Gazprom’s objects of charity 
  • 7 special projects with the participation of the media, bloggers, and opinion leaders 
 
 

Consumers

 
  • Department in charge of gas and liquid hydrocarbons marketing and processing
  • Relevant units of subsidiaries 
 
 
  • Contractual relations
  • Meetings
  • Conferences, forums
  • Claims management system
  • Satisfaction surveys
  • Information disclosure 
 
 
  • Offsite meetings and trips for insights into the production process
  • Marketing incentives to encourage consumers’ equipment and vehicles conversion to natural gas (First Time, First Gas; Year without Problems; EcoGas: Cost Saving for You; EcoCity; Pure Saving; Clean City)
  • Informational support to customers via official web sites of the Group’s companies 
  • Customer satisfaction monitoring as related to quality of products and services on production, transportation and processing of gas, gas condensate, oil, and petroleum products
 

(1) Approved by order of PJSC Gazprom No. 124 dated March 25, 2019.
(2) ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) refers to environmental protection, social policy, and corporate governance.
(3) Approved by the conference of employees of OJSC Gazprom and its subsidiaries on 23 November 2012; extended in 2018 for the 2019–2021 period.