Company: AWK
Filing Date: 2025-03-27
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001193125-25-064607
Chunk: 5

Company: American Water Works Company, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-27
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 5
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�  To support these goals, we focus our work at the state and federal levels on policies such as customer assistance programs, drinking water standards that protect public health, and regulatory mechanisms that enable timely recovery of needed investment in our systems.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |

| AMERICAN WATER | 2025 PROXY STATEMENT |     | iii |

AMERICAN WATER 2024 OPERATING PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS The charts below provide a summary of some of our key operating performance highlights for 2024:

| iv |     | AMERICAN WATER | 2025 PROXY STATEMENT |

SUSTAINABILITY We consider sustainability principles, such as environmental leadership and corporate governance, fundamental to our corporate strategy and values. We have developed a cross-functional approach that supports and drives our sustainability strategy, principles and reporting, which includes the direct involvement and participation of our executive leadership team and oversight from the Board. We focus our sustainability efforts in three primary areas: financial, operationaland cultural. We seek to achieve financial sustainabilitythrough our disciplined approach to capital investment and regulatory execution, which supports our efforts to grow our business and drive shareholder value while addressing water and wastewater challenges in the United States. Our capital investment program is financed with cash flows from operating activities and through a combination of debt and equity capital issuances structured to maintain a healthy balance sheet over the long term. The Company’s approach to balance sheet management is centered on maintaining investment-grade metrics, substantial liquidity provided by highly-rated financial institutions, and interest rate management on new debt issuances through our hedging program. Operational sustainabilitymeans focusing on our operating performance and the day-to-daymanagement of our water and wastewater systems that provide safe, clean, reliable and affordable service. We focus on the quality of execution and the need to operate our systems safely, efficiently and in compliance with all environmental requirements, for the benefit of our customers. We believe this approach to operational sustainability is aligned with the values of our regulators and policymakers. Cultural sustainabilityis reflected in our commitment to support a high performing workforce, while seeking to attract and retain employees who share our purpose and values and understand the needs of the communities in which we serve. We demonstrate this commitment to our employees through our values. We also believe that investing time, energy and resources in our workforce helps to generate new ideas, continuously improve operations and provide high-quality, reliable service for our customers and communities served. Our values and actions have achieved various recognitions for demonstrating leadership in several areas related to trust, responsibility, sustainability and support of our communities, customers and employees. Among