Message from the President and CEO
In early 2012, Kellogg articulated a new vision for our company: To Enrich and Delight the World through Foods and Brands that Matter.
To enrich and delight the world. That’s a bold statement. But as a global company marketing products in more than 180 countries, we mean it. And to realize that vision, we work hard to listen to and understand the opinions, expectations and needs of our diverse customers and consumers and to respond with brands and products they trust and love.
That’s one reason why diversity is so important to me, and to the people of Kellogg Company. With a diverse workforce and a diverse supplier base, we can stay better aligned with what our consumers around the world want, need and expect. So fostering diversity within our workforce and our supplier base is not just the right thing to do; it’s critical for helping us achieve our vision.
Promoting inclusion is essential to our business as well. An actively inclusive, welcoming and respectful work environment promotes employee engagement, drives innovation, improves retention and boosts productivity – all of which contribute directly to our bottom line.
We want Kellogg to have a workforce that reflects the diversity of the consumers and communities we serve. We aren’t there yet, but we’re working toward it and have some good recent accomplishments to share.
In August 2011, for example, I had the pleasure of accepting an important award on behalf of Kellogg Company: The CEO Leadership Circle of Excellence Award from the Minority Business Development Agency (a branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce). Kellogg was granted this recognition based on our accomplishments in supplier diversity. I was honored and humbled to accept the award on behalf of all Kellogg employees who work to drive diversity among our supplier base and in our communities.
In January 2012, I was appointed to the Board of Directors of Catalyst, Inc., a nonprofit group dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in business. I’m committed to helping Kellogg remain a top place for women to work, which is why I’m thrilled to be more engaged with Catalyst.
One final note: Even as we drive greater diversity within our global workforce, we know we have to work together as one company, and one team, to achieve our goals. We must embrace diversity even as we align all employees toward the achievement of our common vision, while also adhering to our shared corporate K Values™. That, we believe, is the recipe for success.
