American Water Works Company, Inc., the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced that Lori Sutton will join the company as Chief Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (ID&E) Officer. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, Lori will lead the Company’s ongoing ID&E efforts.
“American Water is pleased to welcome Lori as she is a seasoned and tested ID&E leader that can keep our momentum going in this important and strategic area for our business,” said President and CEO of American Water Susan Hardwick. “Creating an environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work is essential for our employees and makes us more successful in providing the best possible service to our diverse communities and customers.”
Sutton will further strengthen American Water’s culture by leading a comprehensive and integrated strategy to drive diversity, equity, mutual respect, and inclusiveness across the organization.
See related article: American Water Named Champion of Board Diversity by The Forum of Executive Women for the Sixth Consecutive Year
She most recently served as Global Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Culture at Alcoa Corporation, leading ID&E strategy across ten countries. Prior to that, she led the ID&E effort at Berry Global Corporation. Both Alcoa and Berry are Fortune 500 companies, operating in multiple countries. She has more than a decade of experience in the ID&E and Human Resources field including leading ID&E efforts in the utility sector.
Sutton earned a bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Southern Indiana and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. She also holds a Certified Diversity Executive designation.
