Large listed Italian companies dominate in Europe in terms of transparency on digital channels. The twentieth edition of Comprend Webranking tells us about it, which sees in the first five places of the EU500 ranking as many Italian companies, with a podium as follows: Terna, Snam and Poste Italiane. And 10 national companies are among the top 25 in the ranking, thanks to an overall average performance that is up compared to last year.
A result that is the result of a twenty-year journey. In the first edition of the Webranking, Italy occupied the penultimate place in Europe, ahead only of Greece. Today the situation has been reversed and Italy dominates the top positions.
Initially only a few companies, such as Ras, Merloni, ENI, Benetton, Pirelli, believed and invested in digital communication, but today the importance of transparency as a basis for developing stakeholder trust is now a consolidated fact. And this is also thanks to Webranking, which every year has contributed to raising the bar, anticipating trends in corporate communication, which then became mainstream, such as the role of sustainability and governance, employer branding and the importance of the user. experience.
The new is to create content designed directly for online, taking into account mobile views, SEO and the importance of accessibility. More than 700 sites were evaluated in Europe, by cross-referencing the answers to the questionnaires of analysts, investors, journalists and jobseekers and analyzing different sectors of the companies’ online communication. The report presents a detailed focus on five thematic areas, identified as the most relevant in the 2021-2022 survey.
The presentation of the company
The first section concerns the identity of the company: how it presents itself and how it stands out within the sector in which it operates. The general presentation to its stakeholders, the introduction of its mission and the story of its propensity to innovate are taken into consideration. In this research area, Banca Ifis, Terna, Snam, Eni and Generali are the best performing companies.
A particularly interesting case study is that of Banca Ifis, which presents its business model in a timely and detailed manner, highlighting the key elements that distinguish it from its competitors. To do this, it uses an interactive infographic and particularly incisive graphic elements that make the presentation clear and easy to use.
The issue of accessibility of the digital world for people with reduced audio-visual abilities is particularly important. In 2019, the European Parliament approved the Directive on accessibility requirements for products and services (European Accessibility Act) and by June 2025 all European websites will have to present specific technical requirements.
Mediobanca stands out from the point of view of accessibility, offering the possibility of adapting the site to the different needs of the users who access it, thanks to an interface that is easily accessible through an icon always present on the screen.
Financial information
The elements of greatest interest to financial stakeholders are the ability to present one’s strategy by providing concrete objectives and the market context, making information on the stock available, offering an archive of financial documents that is easy to consult.
In this field there is still a long way to go: less than half of the Italian companies know how to give substance to their strategy (against 75% of the European sample). Of these, only 26% present in detail the actions they intend to take or have implemented to achieve their goals. This therefore remains one of the main challenges of the Italian context.
However, there are significant exceptions. Terna, the undisputed leader of this edition of the Webranking, offers a complete and exhaustive presentation of its strategic plan, accompanying the text with videos and infographics, capable of highlighting the key concepts and simplifying the more technical aspects.
Sustainability
Alongside the business model, the corporate sustainability model is also of growing importance: from the choice of materials to the definition of measurable objectives, to the timely reporting of performance.
The theme is particularly felt by Italian companies: three quarters offer a detailed presentation of their sustainability strategy, defining their commitment and what are the priority issues. There is still work to be done regarding the challenge of concreteness: only 28% of companies propose measurable objectives and just 25% present the progress achieved.
Here too, however, there are exceptions. Intesa Sanpaolo stands out for its ability to detail its stakeholder engagement path. Eni gives ample space to the concrete projects implemented to carry out its commitment in the energy transition and achieve the objectives it has set itself: for each country in which it operates there is a page showing the main highlights, an overview of the activities developed and specific projects.
Describe the governance model
Presenting the top management, demonstrating transparency in the disclosure on remuneration and internal bargaining are some examples of central information if made available with a clear presentation on the site.
Nearly three out of four companies present in detail the profile of the members of the Board of Directors, with image, career path and other positions held. 57% also offer the same type of presentation to all top executives. This is particularly appreciated and relevant information because it helps to give a face to the company.
Snam is doing well in this area, presenting its remuneration policy in a clear and complete manner, supported by graphs and tables, which make it easier to understand.
Attract talent
Knowing how to tell the distinctive traits of a company is of particular importance in attracting the best talents and developing a sense of belonging among employees. Two out of five companies offer a presentation dedicated to their commitment to Diversity. The same percentage is also found with regard to information on training courses and employee benefits. On the other hand, only 12% describe their policy regarding smart working.
In short, this is an area where there is ample room for improvement. But some companies offer interesting case histories to be inspired by. Mondadori dedicates ample space to information dedicated to its current and potential workers and all information is clearly linked to the Group’s mission, which is given space both at the opening of the section and within a dedicated page. Hera [https://www.gruppohera.it/gruppo/lavora-con-noi] instead it has chosen to give voice to its employees to tell what it means to be part of the company, through texts and videos. Among the most significant initiatives, the “Interviews with colleagues” in the Work with us section and the “Think of Mario!” and “The word to colleagues”.
The Italians dominate in Europe
We have seen that the top 5 positions of the EU500 ranking are occupied by Italian companies. But the excellent performance of our local companies does not stop there: as many as 10 companies, two more than last year, get 5 stars (ie a score higher than 80 points out of 100). And 27 Italian companies are included in the EU500 research sample, which takes into consideration the largest European companies by capitalization according to the STOXX All Europe index.
Terna (with 95.5 points) is confirmed as the company with the highest score, thanks to the clarity of communication in the financial field and an excellent strategy to support the energy transition. It is followed by Snam (91.6 points), appreciated above all for its high level of in-depth content and for the accuracy of information on Corporate Governance. On the third step of the podium, Poste Italiane (89.4 points), which stands out for its clarity regarding the sustainability strategy and for the information dedicated to investors and jobseekers.
Finally, the Milanese utility A2A and Rai Way deserve a mention, the two companies that have improved their score the most, with + 24.8 and + 20 points respectively.
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