Webinar Date: June 5, 2024 – 01:00 PM ET
Chief Operating Officer at Fair360
Chief Diversity Officer at The Hershey Company
Chief Inclusion Officer at Dow
Fair360’s June 5 webinar, “Best Practices from the 2024 Top 50 Companies,” featured insights from leaders of top companies recognized for their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Leaders explained why their companies chose to participate in the Top 50 Companies survey. They also shared specific actions that propelled them to the top of the list.
Hershey’s Path to No. 1 on the Top 50 Companies List
Alicia Petross, Chief Diversity Officer at The Hershey Company, highlighted the company’s journey. It started in 2014 when the company was not even on the list. In 2024, Hershey became No. 1.
She credited Hershey’s success to its Pathways Framework, which launched in 2020. She also highlighted the strong commitment from Chairman and CEO Michele Buck.
“Our amazing CEO Michele Buck, one of her first conversations with our leadership team when she became CEO in 2017 was about our people and strengthening our business by creating a place of belonging to fuel innovation, problem-solving and shared success,” Petross said.
This framework, coupled with annual DEI goals and robust support for Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), propelled Hershey to the top.
Dow’s DEI Journey
Alveda Williams, Chief Inclusion Officer at Dow, recounted the company’s significant DEI journey, tracing back to 2017 during a crucial merger with DuPont.
“We were on a bit of a hamster wheel, but we’d been doing the work … In 2017, we really decided to reignite our journey around this work,” she said.
This renewed focus led to the appointment of a Chief Inclusion Officer and the formation of the Office of Inclusion. Dow chose to participate in the Top 50 survey for external validation, transparency and the ability to benchmark against industry best practices.
KPMG’s Sustained Commitment
KPMG’s Elena Richards, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, said the company started participating in the Top 50 survey in 2002. She pointed out that KPMG’s leadership accountability extends from the board level down to individual employees.
“We engage all of our professionals, all 36,000 of our professionals in the U.S. and more broadly on what we’re trying to do and lay that out so that we’re clear on where we’re going and what we’re trying to accomplish,” she said.
This includes setting clear aspirations and holding leadership accountable through performance metrics tied to DEI goals. Richards said KPMG’s comprehensive approach covers all aspects of the talent lifecycle, from recruitment to employee experience and supplier diversity.
Watch the full webinar recording for more insights!
