Consumers Energy Recognized for Women in Leadership, Diverse Hiring Practices

JACKSON, Mich., March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy was recognized as Company of the Year at the March 1 Michigan Career Mastered Women's History Leadership in Action Awards event in Dearborn. The company also saw an upward move on the Ernst & Young Women in Power and Utilities Index in 2016. As Women's History Month and International Women's Day are celebrated in March, the company is proud to be recognized by independent sources for leadership on inclusiveness and diversity.

"This award is for all the women of Consumers Energy," said Mary Palkovich, vice president of energy delivery, who was also recognized individually at the March 1 event as a Leadership in Action honoree. "Whether they are in the office engineering new electric services, in the trenches laying the foundation for our natural gas system, or in the board room guiding the future of our business – thousands of women go to work each day for the good of our state."

The company named Patti Poppe as its first female president and CEO in 2016 and has five other female officers on its leadership team. Consumers Energy and its parent company, CMS Energy, also has a Board of Directors that is one-third female.

These significant appointments also earned CMS Energy a spot on Ernst & Young's Top 20 utilities for gender and diversity, ranking No. 6 in the world and No. 3 in the U.S. on the Women in Power and Utilities Index.

"We're committed to hiring talented co-workers with diverse backgrounds and life experiences; because an inclusive workforce ensures we have the ideas, experiences and knowledge needed to meet the unique needs of our customers today and in the future," said Cathy Hendrian, recently named Senior Vice President of Human Resources effective April 1^st. "In addition to our hiring practices, we have several employee resource groups and organizations dedicated to the advancement of women in leadership. It's an honor to be recognized for our accomplishments, but our journey has just begun."

For more information about Consumers Energy, go to ConsumersEnergy.com.

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SOURCE Consumers Energy

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