Indra Nooyi - Network of Executive Women

Network of Executive Women | Fall 2011
Celebrate the Network’s
10th anniversary!
10 power women
transforming
our industry
10 years of diversity
leadership
10 years later:
reflections
from the start
10 megatrends for
the next 10 years
Indra Nooyi
Chairman and CEO
PepsiCo
15
30.974
Di
Diversity
You clearly have a proven formula for
advancing women and diversity in business.
It is an honor to acknowledge NEW,
,
along with this year s Ten Power Women,
for their achievements in the consumer
products and retail industry.
Do more, feel better, live longer.
©2011 GlaxoSmithKline
www.gsk.com
Network of Executive Women
10
Board Chair
Michelle Gloeckler
Walmart Stores
Vice Chair
Julie Hamilton
The Coca-Cola Company
Past Chair
Alison Kenney Paul
Deloitte
Secretary
Betsy Hosick
Chevron Corporation
Treasurer
Rosa C. Stroh
The Hershey Company
Executive Committee
Maria Edelson
Sales and Capability Development LLC
Michael Gorshe
Accenture
Antoinette (Tonie) Leatherberry
Deloitte
Regenia Stein
Kraft Foods
Debbie Wildrick
Bazi Inc.
Board of Directors at large
Jeff Boser
Kellogg Company
Christy Consler
Safeway Inc.
Caroline Cotten Nakken
Mass Connections
Dave Dudick
General Mills Inc.
Erby Foster Jr.
The Clorox Company
Beverly Grant
Procter & Gamble
Cathy Green Burns
Food Lion Family
Food Lion, Bloom, Harveys, Reid’s
Gail M. Jordan
Monarch Janus Associates
Lisa Klauser
Unilever
Catherine Lindner
Walgreen Company
Chelle Moore
Walmart Stores
Michele Murphy
Supervalu
Bobbie O’Hare (member emeritus)
JOH
Marie Quintana
PepsiCo
Margarita Rossi
Johnson & Johnson
Sales & Logistics Company LLC
John M. Saguto
Nestlé Purina PetCare
Marla Thompson
Catalina
Annie Zipfel
Target Corporation
General Counsel
Bob Dickson
Mass Connections
Andy Lapayowker
Crown Central
President and CEO
Joan Toth
10 10 10 10 10
Ten years later 4
Ten years of leadership 8
Ten power women 14
Ten megatrends 20
Ten things you can do 24
Ten greatest 26
Ten years ago a small band of far-sighted leaders
founded the Network of Executive Women. Their idea — not
so widely accepted back then — was that gender diversity was
not just good for women, but good for business, too.
This special edition celebrates those who champion
diversity in the consumer products and retail industry, the
Network’s founding members and the women who blaze a brilliant path for
the next generation to follow. Most important, it looks ahead to the challenges
and opportunities the next 10 years will bring.
The speed and force of change today is like nothing we have faced before.
We need new products, services and technologies to succeed. Most of all we
need new thinking — and diversity holds the key.
The Network’s 4,000 members, 72 national sponsors and 17 regional
groups are working together to create the multicultural, multigenerational
leadership our industry needs to compete in the next 10 years. We offer career
development, education, networking and mentoring, diversity research, best
practices, national and regional events, college outreach and much more.
In 10 years the Network has grown from a small group of pioneers
into one of the industry’s largest mission-driven organizations. We thank
everyone working with us. We honor those who have paved the way. And
we welcome the next generation of leaders who believe, as we do, in the
awesome power of change.
Warm regards,
Michelle Gloeckler
Board Chair, Network of Executive Women
Senior Vice President, Merchandise Execution
Walmart Stores
Network of Executive Women | Fall 2011
cpg/retail diversity
Communications Director
Rob Wray
Editor
Barbara Grondin Francella
Celebrate the Network’s
10th anniversary!
10 power women
transforming
our industry
10 years of diversity
leadership
Contributors
Dana Asher
Renée Covino
Claire Pamplin
10 years later:
reflections
from the start
10 megatrends for
the next 10 years
Indra Nooyi
Chairman and CEO
PepsiCo
© Copyright 2011 by the Network of Executive Women All rights reserved. Printed in USA. For reprints and information on the Network visit newonline.org.
Network of Executive Women
3
10
years later
Reflections
from the leaders
who were there
at the start
Ten years ago, it was lonely at the top for women in cpg/retail.
These pioneers helped start a Network to change that.
A
decade ago, a determined band of women and men had a
vision: a cpg/retail industry where women could advance
to the top, and a Network to help them get there.
This unnamed working group met in Atlanta in November
2000 and started what would become the Network of Executive
Women. Betsy Cohen, then working for Ralston Purina and
currently vice president for sustainability at Nestlé Purina
PetCare, remembers: “There was much discussion of who might
be interested and how to name the group. Was it food or cpg
or manufacturers or retailers or all of the above? How about
suppliers? Yes, yes and yes is what we said.”
4
Network of Executive Women
A Catalyst study on women leaders in business provided
a “guiding light.” A breakfast meeting that introduced
the nascent Network at the FMI Mid-Winter Executive
Conference in January 2001 was even more illuminating.
While there were very few women overall, “leaders were
interested and willing to be supportive,” Cohen recalls.
The Network held its first official meeting that April.
“Hedy Halpert [late publisher of Beverage World] was a
real leader and inspiration,” according to Cohen. “Mike
Gorshe [currently partner in the Consumer Products and
Services Practice of Accenture] was a terrific advocate...
showing that men would be involved right from the start.”
Many industry executives played key roles in the Network’s formation. We talked to a few and asked what those
early days were like and what they think about the state of
gender diversity in the industry today.
Our roundtable consisted of Michele Hanson, formerly
of The Minute Maid Company and the Network’s first
president; Elizabethe Bogart Osborne, formerly of the National Association of Convenience Stores; Debbie Grosh,
then with The Minute Maid Company; David Jobe of the
Leadership Network Corporation, now part of the CSP In
formation Group; Jennie Jones, then with Crown Central;
Joy Nicholas, formerly with FMI; and Lucia Romanello
Crater, then with GSP Marketing Technologies.
Tell us about your experience in the Network’s early days.
Michele Hanson (Chief Executive Officer of ExecuInsight LLC): The idea of a network for executive women
came to mind while I was moving up the corporate ladder
in the consumer products world. As I advanced into new
and exciting roles, I found myself without female mentors
and peers. At conferences, there were few professional
women speaking and participating. After securing funding from Don Knauss, then CEO of The Minute Maid
Company, I worked with Catalyst to look at the facts and
form a business case for an executive women’s network.
Then I reached out to other CEOs and industry contacts
to find other women and men who would be interested in
getting involved.
Debbie Grosh (President of DLG Strategies): We could
tell by how quickly we grew that there was a true demand
for a women’s networking and development group within
Network of Executive Women
5
10
years later
our industry. Our first NEW Leadership Summit was in Houston on Oct.
11, 2001, just a few weeks after 9/11,
and we still had nearly 100 people
attend. By then we had raised over
$240,000 and had held four events.
The creation of NEW was a challenging, rewarding and very busy time.
The best part was meeting wonderful
women and men who would become
life-long business partners, supporters
and great friends.
“I was one
of two males
in a packed room,
discussing diversity.
It certainly had
an impact on me”
– David Jobe
Jennie Jones (Vice President of
Marketing, Convenience Store Sales
Division, S&D Coffee Inc.): When
I and a few others had the idea to
form a women’s network in the convenience channel, I contacted Hedy
Halpert, who was publisher of several
Jennie Jones
industry publications, and Jim Keyes
of 7-Eleven Inc. to see if they thought the idea was viable.
I was introduced to Michele Hanson [and the idea grew
from there]. My initial experience was five wonderful years
of helping to hire a staff and raise funds and awareness.
Lucia Romanello Crater (Vice President, Retail Sales,
Cardtronics): My initial reaction was skepticism. I wondered if this group would just end up being one that
bellyached about the good ol’ boy network. I decided to
attend at least one meeting with an open mind. There
was so much talent, knowledge, charisma and willingness to roll up sleeves and make this happen that I was
instantly hooked. Most of the women in the room carried
prestigious titles. Yet, in that room, neither the title nor the
authority that came with it mattered.
Elizabethe Bogart Osborne (Principal, CLS Group
LLC): At the first Network board meeting I attended, I
met the women and men who [started the ball rolling]
and fully understood the scope of the issues facing women
in the cpg/retail industry. What impressed me was not
only the commitment of these individuals, but the work
that had been done to show the financial implications
to a company that embraced a diverse workforce. It was
much more than a group of women coming together to
network, it was an effort to create more
opportunities and greater financial gain
for companies.
David Jobe (President, Leadership Conferences, CSP Information
Group): I can remember attending
one of the very first events in Houston
where Drayton McLane, chairman of David Jobe
6
Network of Executive Women
The McLane Group and owner of
the Houston Astros, was the keynote
speaker. I was one of two males in a
packed room, discussing diversity. It
certainly had an impact on me.
How has the industry’s attitude
toward women changed in the past
decade?
Jones: We now have a voice and
the Network has gained a great deal
of respect. But little has changed at retail.
Romanello Crater: It feels as though we take two steps
forward and one step back. That can be frustrating. We
have to keep our eyes on the prize of accomplishing the
Network’s mission and not get sidetracked by setbacks. We
are making progress.
Bogart Osborne: At the beginning, fewer than a dozen
companies were involved in the Network, recognizing the
need to retain their talent, recruit the best and the brightest
and embrace a diverse workforce. With the Network leading the way, and a shift in generations and demographics
in the workplace, we are experiencing a more level playing
field that encourages executive development based on abilities and contribution.
Joy Nicholas (Vice President, Business Development, Balance Innovations): The industry has significantly
improved the awareness of influential
women who have been in the industry
for many years — a truly rewarding
and appropriate recognition of industry
Joy Nicholas
leaders who have not been given the attention they deserve in the past. But we have just touched
the surface.
How has the Network impacted your life and career?
Hanson: Because of NEW, I moved into senior executive roles in major consumer goods companies. I was offered a vice president role after a CEO
introduced me at a NEW event. NEW
has provided me with the support,
mentors and inspiration to achieve my
goals. The people involved in this great
organization gave me the confidence
I needed and reminded me that I
could do anything. That inspiration Michele Hanson
and confidence is still with me today as I run my own
organization.
“The focus on having
the right people
in the right seats
made sense not only
for companies,
but especially for
the individual.”
Jones: My career changed drastitracts and business will be awarded
cally. I left the company where I was
based on sound business decisions;
employed during the founding years
business will no longer be for sale.
of the Network and would not have
Bogart Osborne: Back in 2001,
had the courage or self-esteem to do
there were not many women on
it without the support of NEW. In
the boards of the industry trade as2010 I became the first woman to ever
sociations. Now a number of trade
chair the supplier board of NACS, the
associations have a diverse board and
– Elizabethe Bogart Osborne their CEOs are women. This will
Association for Convenience and Fuel
Retailing.
continue to evolve, and I am grateful
Bogart Osborne: As I began to parthis evolution is based on hiring the
ticipate in Network events, I learned I
right people with the right talents
had missed my calling in life. The focus on having the right to succeed. As the economy slowly picks up steam, I see
people in the right seats made sense not successful companies getting much smarter about their
only for companies, but especially for brand, their offer and their customers. The era of being
the individual. The “people” part of all things to all people is over; consumers are getting
the business is where I thrive, and I’ve wiser and will focus more on value in their experience.
built my consulting firm working with Consumers will become more segmented, and not just
clients to constantly improve their or- by traditional demographics. Many regional marketers
ganizations. My involvement with the have figured this out, and they will continue to lead our
Elizabethe Bogart Osborne
Network helped me become a better industry. They have great brands, amazing employees and
excellent service differentiating them from their competiperson by recognizing my talents and shortfalls.
Romanello Crater: I have found some of my very best tors. At the heart of this is people.
friends through NEW. They have been there for me
Romanello Crater: Some of the trails we have blazed
through two career moves and the many challenges life over the past 10 years will help the next
has sent my way. I have found mentors through NEW generation of women move up in the
who have helped me navigate challenging work situations. industry much more quickly than in
I have had the opportunity to mentor young women and the previous 10 years. Many of these
“reach back over the wall” to bring many more women into women have come to our industry and
our industry and help others be more successful.
have not known anything but diversity.
Grosh: The success of the NEW regional groups has In that respect, they will come to exLucia Romanello Crater
added a new dimension to the organization and to my per- pect leadership diversity.
sonal growth. I have had the opportunity to mentor more
Nicholas: I envision an industry where the leaders and
women and to connect with professionals locally.
decision makers more effectively reflect the shoppers,
who are primarily women. With the emergence of social
How much progress will the industry make on leadership networking, multigenerational workforce management
diversity in the next 10 years? What other big trends do
and the need for more cultural awareness, women have
you see?
skills that more naturally align with the workplace issues
of the future.
Hanson: The impact of NEW and other diversity
Grosh: I’m a bit concerned. Recent
leadership initiatives will be tremendous. The industry
studies show the number of women in cwill flourish because employees will be encouraged to “live
suite positions has dropped over the last
their lives” instead of separating work and personal. It’s all
two years in Fortune 500 companies.
“life,” and women will continue to push to integrate the
The economy has impacted all of us, and
two. If that happens, the best of the best will be represented
appears to be tougher on our industry. I
at all levels and they will create new and different products
believe we will bounce back because of
that will meet our consumers’ needs. This is exciting and Debbie Grosh
the successes of companies with a more
the potential is unlimited.
diverse leadership team, as they will continue to show a
Jones: The convenience channel is starting to hire more higher value to their stockholders. n
women and place them in decision-making positions. The
way of doing business will continue to change, and con- Find more memories and predictions at newonline.org/timemachine.
Network of Executive Women
7
10
years of leadership
Behind every
great idea
is a great leader
The accomplishments of these diversity champions
are worthy of the Network’s Diversity Hall of Fame
T
he Network of Executive Women is marking its 10th
anniversary by launching the NEW CPG Retail Diversity
Hall of Fame, honoring a select group of industry leaders
who know that gender diversity is much more than a compliance
issue — it’s a business essential.
This pantheon is no stranger to diversity or the Network —
each is a past recipient of the Network’s annual Outstanding
Champion Award, given to individuals and companies who have
strongly supported the Network’s mission to attract, retain and
advance women in the cpg/retail industry.
This fall, the award will be renamed the William J. Grize
Diversity Hall of Fame Award, honoring the late Ahold CEO.
Grize, who recognized the extraordinary value of developing and
supporting women leaders, is one of the diversity champions the
Network will honor this year at its CPG Retail Hall of Fame
Red Carpet Awards, Sept. 19 at the NEW Leadership Summit in
Orlando.
8
Network of Executive Women
Linda Dillman
Foods — to her job.
“For over 20 years, I have...watched
as many talented, smart and hardworking women struggled to gain a
meaningful position — not even a
stronghold — in the ranks of senior
and executive management teams,”
Dunn says. “At the same time...the
words were always ‘80 percent of purchasing decisions for cpg products are
made by the female in the household.’
What’s wrong with this picture?”
The management teams of these
companies “weren’t even taking advantage of the resources they had working
in their own companies — resources
that could give them insight as to what
the decision makers
were thinking,” she
says. “They were losing out in two ways:
not getting diversity of talent within
their organization
by promoting women and not taking
advantage of having women — their
target audience — as representatives on
their executive teams.”
Tech support
To her retail technology peers,
Linda Dillman’s contributions at
Walmart were nothing short of revolutionary. In 2003, for example, the
then-executive vice president and chief
information officer announced that
Walmart’s 100 biggest suppliers would
be required to adopt
its radio-frequency
ID tag system on all
case and pallet shipments. The result? A
paradigm change in
supply-chain management.
Currently Hewlett-Packard’s senior vice president of global information technology, Dillman manages the IT teams responsible for the
computer firm’s outsourcing services
business and a new group supporting
global functions such as corporate
administration and HR.
Named to Fortune’s “50 Most
Powerful Women in Business” each
year from 2003 to 2007, Dillman
strives to move other women up the
corporate ladder. For her unwavering
support of the Network and its mission, she joined Jeri Dunn and Kay
Palmer as NEW Outstanding Champions in 2005.
“We’ve made significant
progress, but our starting
point was very low relative
to other industries.”
Jeri Dunn
Illustrations: Steve Stankiewicz
The right spirit
When you’re responsible for all IT
activities at the largest privately held
spirits company in the world, you
want to ensure the only thing on the
rocks is the corporate product. Fortunately for Bacardi, Chief Information
Officer Jeri Dunn brings more than
20 years of cpg experience — including positions at Nestlé and Tyson
– Tom Greco
Tom Greco
A refreshing change
When he accepted
the Network’s Outstanding Champion
Award in 2006, Tom
Greco — then senior
vice president of sales
for Frito-Lay North
America — credited NEW for helping his organization redesign key jobs
and attract a more diverse pool of
candidates.
The strategy worked, increasing
diverse representation at the company
from 33 percent to 52 percent among
field sales executives and tripling the
number of women in the group.
“As I began to interact with NEW’s
leadership team, it became apparent that our methods were largely
unattractive to high potential talent
— particularly to women,” Greco
says. “We realized that fundamental
change was needed to attract more
high-caliber women to the company.”
Now executive vice president and
chief commercial officer of Pepsi
Beverages Company, Greco still isn’t
one to let the chips fall where they
may. His personal Pepsi challenge:
Drive the diversity and inclusion message throughout his company and the
industry.
“We’ve made significant progress,”
he says, “but our starting point was
very low relative to other industries.”
There’s a need to increase the number
of women on the executive career
track, according to Greco, and that requires the continuous support and accountability of senior leadership. “We
have to work to retain women who
might otherwise opt out because of
the sacrifices and trade-offs required
of executives at this level.”
Network of Executive Women
9
10
years of leadership
Bill Grize
Food industry legend
Bill Grize — then president and
CEO of Ahold USA Retail Operations — received NEW’s Outstanding Cha mpion Awa rd in 20 04.
The grocery industry legend died
in January 2010 at the age of 63,
leaving an enormous void in a field
where women still rarely reach the
top ranks.
“He always believed that people
were a company’s greatest asset and he
was passionately committed to fostering their talents and strengths,” says
Emelyn Grize, his widow.
The gender diversity backer began
his career at Stop
& Shop in 1967 as
a part-time clerk.
Rising through the
ranks, he was named
chief operating officer in 1994 and
president in 1996. Spearheaded by
Grize, the chain established diversity
initiatives to ensure jobs were open to
all members of the community.
Recognized for his passion for
people, Grize believed corporate management had both a civic and business
obligation to provide diversity. In
2005, the Food Marketing Institute
awarded him with the Sydney R.
Rabb Award for exceptional service
to the community, consumers and the
industry.
In presenting NEW’s Outstanding Champion Award, then NEW
President Kimberly Betts, now a
senior manager at Deloitte, recalled
how Grize had responded to every
single request ever made on behalf of
the Network. “He’s a true champion
of NEW and a true advocate of diversity in the industry,” she said. In
reply, Grize said simply, “It’s about
the people. We must do better and
learn to embrace and utilize all this
talent.”
10
Network of Executive Women
“We’ve made strides,
no doubt. But we need
to see more women
in senior roles.”
– Don Knauss
sights on how to connect with women
as consumers, we could not win in the
marketplace,” says Knauss, recipient
of The Jackie Robinson Foundation’s
ROBIE Award for individuals who
have promoted opportunities in the
corporate world.
“We’ve made strides, no doubt.
But we need to see more women in
senior roles,” he continues. “And we
need to see more companies create
flexible work environments that enable women to have and nurture a
family if that is their choice.”
Jeff Noddle
Retail diversity advocate
Don Knauss
Put money behind the vision
As a white executive working for
Coca-Cola’s Southern Africa unit in
the late 1990s, Don Knauss had his
first glimpse of what it’s like to be
in the minority. “It certainly made
me more sensitive to what it feels
like to be underrepresented,” says
Knauss, chairman
and CEO of Clorox
since 2006.
During his tenure at Coca-Cola,
Knauss provided seed money to a
small group of women and men creating a new organization for industry
women — the Network of Executive
Women. Knauss, who received NEW’s
Champion Award in 2002, carried his
commitment to promoting workplace
diversity and equity to Clorox, where
social responsibility tops the corporate
priority list.
“I realized very quickly in my career in cpg that women were making
most of the buying decisions for the
brands I worked on. Without women
in more senior roles offering their in-
During the Food Marketing Institute’s Midwinter Executive Conference in 2007, Jeff Noddle, then
Supervalu’s chairman and CEO,
asked his colleagues to take stock.
“We need to make
tremendous progress on diversit y,
and we need to start
now,” said Noddle,
FMI chairman at
the time, declaring
that retailers need to improve diversity
both in their organizations and on the
FMI board.
It was this commitment to inclusion that helped earn Noddle NEW’s
Outstanding Champion Award in
2009. “Throughout my corporate
career, I tried to do what I felt was
right, and I could never come up with
a reason why women shouldn’t have all
the same opportunities and standards
as men. It simply is the right thing
to do, period,” he says. “Given that, I
knew some of the old ways of evaluating people had to be pushed along to
break old customs. I decided to be an
advocate in that regard.”
Three years after engineering one
of the biggest mergers in the history
of the supermarket industry — Supervalu’s 2006 acquisition of Albertsons
Delhaize America:
Reaching across the aisle
Delhaize America is a retail diversity
and strong relationship building with
standout.
community, civic and local leaders, as
well as an associate base reflective of
It has five women executives on its
the communities we serve.”
senior leadership team and three of
Delhaize America is a member of
its four operating banners are led by
Three of Dehaize America’s four banners are run
by women.
women. In 2009, 51 percent of its U.S.
the Brussels-based Delhaize Group and
associates were women and 25 percent
one of the largest supermarket chains
professional development is exhibited
of its U.S. associates and 33 percent of
in the United States, operating under
by its Food Lion banner’s “Women
Food Lion associates were from ethnic
the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom
and Women of Color” strategy, which
minorities.
Dollar Food, Hannaford, Harvey’s, Reid’s
focuses on attracting, retaining and
and Sweetbay.
developing diverse talent. To this end,
Small wonder the firm received the
Delhaize America’s commitment to
Cathy Green Burns, president of
five women from Food Lion completed
the Food Lion family and a member of
the ASCENT professional development
NEW’s board of directors, was instru-
program, with studies in management
placed some stores in urban, rural and
mental in the creation of the Network’s
acumen, strategic thinking, organization-
developing markets,” Eric Watson,
Carolinas regional group. Hannaford was
al awareness and personal development.
Delhaize America’s Office of Diversity
an early supporter of the Network’s first
“To retain any associate, specifi-
and Inclusion vice president, noted in an
regional chapter in New England, while
cally diverse associates, it’s important
interview with NEW. “A diverse market
Mike Vail and the Sweetbay team took
to build a culture in which they feel
presence requires a level of connectivity
the lead initiating NEW’s Florida group.
valued,” says Watson.
— Noddle stepped down as CEO.
Today as executive chairman of the
firm’s board of directors, he boasts
a distinguished record of promoting diversity and inclusion at North
America’s fifth largest food retailer.
Advancing women in the industry
is a solid business strategy, Noddle
says. “It’s also the smart and right
thing to do.”
is that fewer women
are entering the field
and minorities are
under-represented as
a whole,” she says.
A member of the
executive board of
directors for the Information Technology and Research Institute at the
University of Arkansas, she’s worked
with the institute to increase the
number of women and minorities entering IT. One result: the Technology
Awareness Program (TAP), designed
to expose under-represented populations to the field while they’re still in
high school.
“We’re starting to see positive
results from this program, as some
of these students are finding their
way into IT studies at the U of A,”
says Palmer, who also speaks to area
high-school students and parents
about career opportunities in IT and
available scholarships.
J.B. Hunt’s IT department has
topped lists as a “Top Place to Work in
IT” for years. Recognizing her efforts,
NEW named Palmer an Outstanding
Champion in 2005 with two other
women — Linda Dillman and Jeri
Dunn — who joined forces to support
NEW and promote executive diversity, especially in the fast-growing
Northwest Arkansas region.
Network’s 2010 Outstanding Champion
Award.
“We have, throughout our history,
Kay Palmer
Supply-side standout
When it comes to championing
women, Kay Palmer has the drive.
The CIO and executive vice president
of J.B. Hunt Transport Services heads
a department of 360 people responsible for implementing technical solutions that improve operations, optimize supply chains and provide better
distribution solutions to customers.
If she had her way, Palmer would
like to see more women among those
360 — and in IT. “One of our primary
challenges in information technology
Judy Spires
Food retailer, trailblazer
Judy Spires
started her career as
a cashier at Acme
Markets while still
in high school. Thirty-five years later,
the self-proclaimed
“Jersey girl” was running the 125-store
chain.
“I absolutely love this business and
I know how rewarding a career in this
industry is. I have done every job —
in the stores and in the back office —
and I know from personal experience
Network of Executive Women
11
10
years of leadership
Procter & Gamble:
company’s vision: “Everyone val-
Driving diversity and inclusion
ued. Everyone included. Everyone
Through its portfolio of brands like
performing at their peak.”
Pampers, Pantene and Tide, Procter &
The company’s leaders are
Gamble estimates it touches people’s
committed to creating a winning
lives around the world 2 billion times a
culture where colleagues and
day. The executive team is every bit as
managers demonstrate sincere
proud of how this company touches the
care for each other, extending a
from around the world, reflecting the
lives of its own employees.
personal touch to each individual and
markets and consumers it serves.
Under the leadership of CEO and
Two P&G Plaza in Cincinnati is a retail diversity hub.
genuinely getting to know each other.
“Through our focus on understand-
Chairman Robert McDonald, diver-
Everyone’s full engagement is expected
ing each individual’s skills, passions
sity and inclusion are deeply rooted
to ensure that P&G delivers on its
and our fundamental commonalities,”
in the company’s purpose, values and
mission in every part of its business, the
the management team believes, “we
principles. P&G management works to
company reports.
enable behaviors that lead to a culture
bring together individuals from differ-
The management team fully recog-
of innovation.”
ent backgrounds, cultures and thinking
nizes that diversity and inclusion give
Rob Steele, the company’s recently
styles who provide different talents,
the company a sustained competitive
retired vice chair, modeled P&G’s com-
perspectives and life and career experi-
advantage for continued growth. The
mitment to diversity and inclusion,
ences. The cpg giant’s diversity and
company’s focus on D&I has enabled it
which led to his recognition as the
inclusion mission statement sums up the
to hire, engage and retain the best talent
Network’s 2003 Outstanding Champion.
there is not one job a woman cannot
do,” Spires says. “The change is really
happening in the companies where
the commitment to diversity and
advancing women is truly cemented
at the top.”
Currently the chief executive officer of New Jersey-based Kings Super
Markets, Spires was widely lauded for
providing opportunities for women in
the food industry, including sponsoring company-based diversity groups,
mentoring associates and developing
Acme’s Women’s Initiative Network.
She played a key role in the Network’s
2006 expansion in Greater Philadelphia, an important element in NEW’s
growth and a key factor in her being
named NEW Outstanding Champion in 2007.
“I am on a mission to make sure
the best people have great careers in
this industry,” she says. “I will open
any door for any woman who has the
drive, determination and an indefatigable work ethic to succeed.”
It’s not just good for women,
according to Spires — it’s good for
business. “For a company to win con-
sumers’ hearts, minds and wallets, the
leadership must reflect the diversity of
its customer base.”
and CEO, is his ability to create
a “diverse, high-performing work
team that demonstrates the value of
inclusion” and “establish a workplace
where all employees can develop their
talents to the fullest.”
White was a key player in the
launch of the NEW Northern California region, personally encouraging dozens of colleagues at Safeway,
the second largest supermarket chain
in North America, to become active in the group and attend its
2007 launch event. “My passion
for helping create a more inclusive
environment and even playing field
for women in the industry is driven
by the women in my life — my
wife, mom, sister, grandmothers and
daughters,” White says, “and by my
own journey as a leader as I sought to
find a level playing field that allows
me to execute at full potential.”
Today the president, CEO and
chairman of Jamba Juice is using
his vision to bring the smoothie and
snack company to the next level and
to increase inclusion across the entire
foodservice sector. n
12
Network of Executive Women
James White
Power listener
When Safeway was creating Mom
to Mom — its line of more than 80
baby products — James White, the
chain’s senior vice president of consumer brands, did what he did best:
he listened.
Tapping into the philosophy that
“Mother knows best,” Safeway queried moms about
their babies and how
products could make
their lives easier. This
feedback resulted in
merchandise that
makes sense, such as
baby wipes sporting a flip-top that’s a
cinch to open.
An uncanny ability to assess input
and gauge needs may be why White is
as successful at forging teams at work
as he was at building private-label
business. One of his key strengths,
said Steve Burd, Safeway’s president
Proudly supports the
Network of Executive Women
10
power women
Meet
the women
rocking
our world
First they changed perceptions.
Then their firms.
Now they want to change the world.
W
omen comprise almost half of the retail industry’s
workforce but only 18.3 percent of its corporate officers
and just just a handful of its CEOs.* These are the women
who have defied those odds. Trailblazer, pioneer, role model —
these words hardly do them justice. Through drive, courage,
sacrifice, hard work and intelligence, they have reached heights
that few men — and even fewer women — ever achieve. Some
day, when gender is no longer a factor in how far and how fast a
business executive may rise, our c-suites will have just as many
ordinary women as ordinary men. Until then, we will have to be
inspired by the extraordinary women profiled here.
*Catalyst Census of Fortune 500, 2010.
14
Network of Executive Women
Katie Bayne
Rosalind Brewer
President and General Manager
Sparkling Beverages
The Coca-Cola Company
Age: 44
Hometown: Perth, Australia
Alma mater: Duke University;
The Fuqua School of Business
Company rank in Fortune 500: 77
Employees: 92,400
Revenues: $35.1 billion
Executive Vice President
and President
Walmart East, Walmart U.S.
Walmart Stores Inc.
Age: 49
Hometown: Atlanta
Alma mater: Spelman College
Company rank in Fortune 500: 1
Employees: 2 million
Revenues: $421.8 billion
What she’s up to: Under her leadership, Coca-Cola is
enjoying strong growth on Fanta, Sprite and Coke Zero.
A first: Coca-Cola won its first-ever Emmy Award in
2009 for an animated TV commercial “Heist,” a Cannes
Platinum Lion for the Coca-Cola Visual Identity work and
launched MyCokeRewards.com, all while Bayne was chief
marketing officer of Coca-Cola North
America. Road map to success: Bayne says
you need two things to be successful
in any company: admiration for what
it does and what it stands for and the
chance to learn something new every
day. She’s grateful to have had that at Coke for 21 years.
Bet you didn’t know: If Bayne wasn’t doing what she’s
doing now, she’d probably be a ski instructor. Her favorite
attire is pajamas.
On balancing work and personal life: She admits that
fusing “the never-ending digital presence and speed” of
work with family life is a challenge. But she tries to “slow
it down and think,” especially in the morning while running with her dog after getting her boys and husband out
the door.
What she’s up to: Brewer oversees
nearly 1,600 stores from Maine to Puerto Rico and is responsible for establishing the division’s strategic direction of all
growth opportunities, which is now “a
pretty aggressive plan” of a reinvigorated
price strategy and a refocus on tailoring
the product lineup to regional shopping preferences. Brewer
is working closely with 15 of the company’s top female
executives to improve networking opportunities for other
women at the retail giant.
Road map to success: “It’s all about the power of ‘no,’”
according to Brewer. She says no one gets to the top of the
corporate ladder by blending in. Individuals must learn to
ask the right questions, when to say “yes,” and most importantly, when to say “no.”
Bet you didn’t know: She gives her time to help mentor
teenage girls from diverse backgrounds to successfully navigate the pressures and pitfalls of teenage life.
Network of Executive Women
15
10
power women
M. Susan Chambers
Cathy Green Burns
Executive Vice President
Global People Division
Walmart Stores Inc.
Age: 53
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
Alma mater: William Jewell College
Company rank in Fortune 500: 1
Employees: 2 million
Revenues: $421.8 billion
President
Food Lion family
Age: 44
Currently resides: Davidson, N.C.
Alma mater: University of Maine
Company rank in Fortune Global 500: 291*
Employees: 62,500
Revenues: $18.8 billion (Delhaize’s total U.S. operations)
What she’s up to: The highest ranking woman at
Walmart Stores, Chambers is responsible for managing, attracting and retaining the nation’s largest private workforce. She was behind
the development of a global diversity
and inclusion strategy that focuses on
four key areas: employees, external
stakeholder management and community involvement, supplier diversity and
multicultural marketing. The plan is to integrate diversity
and inclusion into every aspect of the business.
Road map to success: One constant of her success,
Chambers reports, has been her willingness to take on
anything that needs to be changed or done, no matter how
unglamorous. “I don’t think there’s any magic formula,” she
stated. “Just hard work and an openness to change.”
Bet you didn’t know: They say she’s a sucker for puppies.
A word on women: “We’re not saturated [with women
leaders] by any means.”
What she’s up to: Under Green Burns’ leadership, Food
Lion is launching a new Food Lion strategy to make sure
the company delivers simplicity and quality for everything
a family needs at leading prices. Road map to success: Green Burns’ keys for success are
twofold. At work, she always keeps customers’ needs and
expectations a top priority. In life, she has found that associates contribute more to the organization when work, self and
family are in balance. A word on women: “Women are an integral part of our
business and make up more than 70 percent of our customer
base and more than 50 percent of our associates. It is our
responsibility to fully leverage the insights and knowledge
of women in our organization to better
serve our customers.”
Bet you didn’t know: When she was
14, she started her own lawn-mowing
business, Clippings by Cathy, Lawns
Mowed & Clipped. “I learned then
how the customer experience was
paramount. I’d surprise some of my customers by planting
a flower or doing something special that differentiated me
from the other people who mowed lawns,” she said in the
Network’s 2008 book The NEW Woman Rules: More Than
50 Trailblazers Share Their Wisdom.
*Food Lion has more than 1,200 grocery stores and is owned by Belgium-based Delhaize Group.
16
Network of Executive Women
Melanie Healey
Andrea Jung
Group President, North America
Procter & Gamble Co.
Age: 50
Hometown: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Alma mater: University of Richmond, Va.
Company rank in Fortune 500: 26
Employees: 127,000
Revenues: $78.9 billion
Chairman and CEO
Avon Products
Age: 52
Hometown: Wellesley, Mass.
Alma mater: Princeton University
Company rank in Fortune 500: 226
Employees: 42,000
Revenues: $10.8 billion
What she’s up to: Despite the economy, innovation re-
mains a top priority for Procter & Gamble. Under Healey’s
leadership in North America, P&G launched three of the 10
most successful new products of 2010 as ranked by the New
Product Pacesetters list. Crest 3D White earned the top nonfood spot. Olay Professional Pro-X and Scope Outlast also
made the top ranking.
Road map to success: Healey cites
the opportunity to have gained experience in several different types of
developmental assignments, allowing
her to tackle start-ups, turnarounds,
launching new brands, managing crises
and learning to lead in a culture different from one’s own. She often speaks about stretching
beyond a comfort zone and elevating one’s learning curve
on a frequent basis.
Bet you didn’t know: Healey considers her biggest claim
to fame beating Warren Buffett at bridge.
On balancing work and personal life: She says she
couldn’t do it without the unwavering support of her
husband, Bruce, father to their teenage son and daughter.
But she believes the true measure of work/life balance is if
you are happy and healthy — if not, it’s time to revisit the
choices you made. Healey considers this a continuum and
an ongoing commitment to yourself and those around you.
A word on women: “Women are smart, on the ball and
have incredible capacity and drive. There is no reason why
we can’t be successful in every field. I’d like to see a critical
mass of women in all of the top positions of leadership
sooner rather than later.”
What she’s up to: Under Jung’s
leadership, Avon this year launched its
yearlong 125th anniversary celebration
with a singing and songwriting talent
search across the globe. Although the
company has always been more directed
toward female customers, Avon’s line
of male products continues to expand and its children’s
products (such as shampoos and toys) have also proved to be
a recent success.
Road map to success: Jung frequently speaks to college
students and professionals about the personal ethos that
continually guides her: integrity, humility, courage and
pride. She often attributes her success to her upbringing as
a traditional Chinese daughter. She believes life is not about
working, but making a difference.
Bet you didn’t know: She took piano lessons as a child
and well into adulthood. She loves playing Mozart and
Beethoven.
On balancing work and personal life: She told an audience
that she once passed up an opportunity to attend a meeting
with President George W. Bush to be with her daughter, who
was leaving for her first sleep-away camp the same evening.
She said President Bush probably would not remember who
she was, but her daughter would always remember that her
mother passed up a meeting with the president for her.
A word on women: “The biggest emerging market in the
world isn’t a country. It’s women.”
Network of Executive Women
17
10
power women
Denise Morrison
Indra Nooyi
CEO
Campbell Soup Company
Age: 57
Hometown: Elberon, N.J.
Alma mater: Boston College
Company rank in Fortune 500: 312
Employees: 18,400
Revenues: $7.7 billion
Chairman and CEO
PepsiCo
Age: 55
Currently resides: Greenwich, Conn.
Alma mater:Madras Christian College; Indian Institute of
Management, Calcutta; Yale University
Company rank in Fortune 500: 43
Employees: nearly 300,000
Revenues: approximately $60 billion
What she’s up to: Morrison has simultaneously market-
ed soup as an affordable meal for cash-strapped shoppers
and lowered sodium with great taste to attract the healthconscious consumer. “The leadership in sodium reduction
enabled us to have a conversation with consumers about
the positives associated with our brands,” she said. Also in
the pipeline is the new Campbell’s Slow
Kettle brand, a premium soup targeted
to younger consumers that will be offered in contemporary packaging. A
new variety of Campbell’s tomato soup,
Harvest Orange Tomato, did well in
test markets and is poised for a rollout.
Beverage innovation includes V8 V-Fusion and V8 energy
shots made from vegetables and a highly concentrated
green tea.
Road map to success: You can’t just let your career
happen, Morrison says, you have to be strategic in how you
define your leadership journey. She points to mentors as a
pivotal ingredient to success. She met her most important
mentor, Douglas R. Conant, when she was working at
Nestlé in Bakersfield, Calif.
A word about women: “I am a firm believer that networking is working. To me, this is an important concept
for women to grasp, so they can build key relationships and
expand their professional contacts to advance their career.”
Bet you didn’t know: Morrison was a fire baton twirler
in high school. Instead of discouraging Denise, her mother
would sit in the stands with a blanket just in case she
needed to put out any flames.
Winning with women: Morrison was an integral player
in helping shape Campbell’s women’s initiatives. She was
one of the co-founders of the Women of Campbell network and continues to mentor several women across the
organization. Campbell received the 2010 Catalyst award
for its success in advancing women to leadership roles.
18
Network of Executive Women
What she’s up to : When Indra
became PepsiCo’s CEO, she introduced
“Performance with Purpose,” the company’s strategic mission focused on delivering sustainable growth by investing
in a healthier future for people and the
planet. Under her leadership, the company has become the largest food and beverage business in
North America and the second largest in the world with 19
global brands that each generated $1 billion or more in 2010
in annual retail sales. Last year she announced the goal of
growing the company’s nutrition business from $10 billion
in 2010 to $30 billion by 2020.
Road map to success: Nooyi cites the “five Cs” of success — competency, confidence, communication, commitment and coaching.
On balancing work and personal life: “You need to build
a supportive ecosystem with your family, defining ‘family’
any way you want.”
In her words: “Our diversity makes PepsiCo stronger
in the most direct sense. We are a global company, serving
millions of people around the world with different tastes and
preferences. Being as diverse as our consumer base means we
can understand, first hand, what our consumers want. So
when I see men and women of different ages, nationalities,
cultures and languages all working together for PepsiCo, I
realize that what we have is priceless. And in order to grow
as a company, we need more of it.”
Bet you didn’t know: She loves to sing and was in an allgirl rock band in high school, is a big baseball fan and reads
an occasional romance novel in addition to business books.
Irene Rosenfeld
Laura Sen
Chairman and CEO
Kraft Foods
Age: 58
Hometown: Chicago
Alma mater: Cornell University
Company rank in Fortune 500: 53
Employees: 127,000
Revenues: $49.2 billion
CEO
BJ’s Wholesale Club
Age: 54
Hometown: Wakefield, Mass.
Alma mater: Boston College
Company rank in Fortune 500: 221
Employees: 24,000
Revenues: $11 billion
What she’s up to: After acquiring Cadbury last year,
What she’s up to: With renewed
Kraft, under Rosenfeld’s leadership, is bracing for higher
commodity costs but leaning on advertising and innovation to boost sales. The company is in the process of boosting its marketing and advertising budget in North America
and will introduce more TV advertising campaigns for
brands like Miracle Whip and Planters.
Road map to success: Utilizing the theory that “it’s far
more impressive when others discover
your good qualities without your help,”
Rosenfeld developed what she calls “Six
Tips to the Top” that have worked well
for her career for the last 30 years: Make
a difference and push the envelope; take
risks; seek out mentors; surround yourself with good people and take care of them; ask for what
you want; and practice the Golden Rule.
Bet you didn’t know: Rosenfeld is an avid Rollerblader.
The sports fan helped Chicago’s impassioned but unsuccessful bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
On balancing work and personal life: Rosenfeld believes
it’s important to avoid regret by zeroing in on the events
in which you need to participate and balance this against
what is necessary for your personal life. She spoke of a time
when her mother was dying and she was where she needed
to be. “I have no regrets,” she said.
A word on women: “Women don’t have to be ‘minimen.’ We have the opportunity to be role models and
mentor others. Hang in there; we can help to reshape the
environment on the job and outside.”
speculation that it will go private,
BJ’s started the year off by closing five
stores, slashing nearly 500 jobs and
reorganizing senior management. Sen
says the management team has been
working for months on a strategic
plan to optimize the chain’s performance and build for
its future. In February, BJ’s hired Morgan Stanley & Co.
as financial advisor and put itself in play. At presstime,
a joint bid from private-equity firm Leonard Green &
Partners and CVC Capital Partners was being considered.
Road map to success: “Try, try again” is Sen’s success
strategy. In 2001, she was passed up as CEO and was asked
to leave BJ’s. She consulted for nearly four years, then, with
new management in place, came back to BJ’s as executive
vice president. A year later, she was president and COO; by
early 2009, she was CEO.
Bet you didn’t know: Her favorite hobby is solving crossword puzzles. Eleanor Roosevelt is her heroine.
Sources: Fortune 500 rankings and revenue figures are based on Fortune 500 2011 and Global
Fortune 500 2010 lists. Additional sources: amazon.com, americandiversityreport.com, avonproducts.com, bakingbusiness.com, bc.edu, bjs.com, blackenterprise.com, blackgivesback.
com, businesstoday.org, boston.com, businessweek.com, campbellsoupcompany.com, careerwomaninc.com, celebratearkansasmagazine.com, cnn.com, execdigital.com, famousquotes.
com, foodlion.com, forbes.com, foxbusiness.com, icanomaha.org, just-food.com, knowledge.
wharton.upenn.edu, kraftfoodscompany.com, money.cnn.com, mountainlakesinternational.
com, news.cornell.edu, notablebiographies.com, nytimes.com, pepsico.com, pg.com, progressivegrocer.com, referenceforbusiness.com, slideshare.net, spelman.edu, supermarketnews.
com, telegraph.co.uk, thecocacolacompany.com, thinkup.waldenu.edu, walmartstores.com,
walmartwatch.org, thecocacolacompany.com, womenetics.com.
Network of Executive Women
19
10
megatrends
Get ready
for the next
big things
The industry has changed a lot in the past 10 years —
wait till you see what the next decade has in store
T
he dizzying changes of the next 10 years will make the rapid
transformations of the last decade seem positively sedate.
Young workers insist on working in ways they find personally
satisfying. Employees come from all corners of the globe and bring
a dazzling variety of experiences and worldviews. Consumers are
more focused on quality of life — from the wholesomeness of the
food they eat and the corporate citizenship of the companies that
sell it, to the way they plan their careers and spend time with family
and friends.
These and other demands — global competition, changing
technology and morphing demographics, to name a few — present
a challenge to today’s business leaders, who must nurture a new
breed of employee, market to a new breed of diverse consumers and
return a profit to shareholders in a volatile, uncertain, complex and
ambiguous world. No one said it was going to be easy.
20
Network of Executive Women
The age wave
Boomers meet Millennials
The demographic shift in the
country is transforming the way we
live — and the way we work. Companies are putting more effort into understanding who we
work with and how
we work with them.
One issue: Hiring
managers who believe
top salaries lead to greater job satisfaction may not be pegging their youngest
associates correctly. Young professionals ages 21 to 31 “believe doing work
that is personally meaningful to them
and achieving a sense of accomplishment are just as important as earning
a high salary for a successful career,”
according to “The Future of Millennial Careers” recently released by the
Career Advisory Board for DeVry
University.
Many Millennials are used to getting what they want. Even in a down
economy, Millennia ls are pick y
about entry-level jobs and often
opt for travel or grad school rather
than settle for less. Bottom line for
employers: Realize Millennials are
not going to fundamentally change.
To attract and keep the best and the
brightest, show Millennials why you
should be their number-one choice,
noted Lynne C. Lancaster and David
Stillman, authors of When Generations Collide.
As for marketing to Millennials,
they are a brand-averse generation
rewriting the rules of marketing, according to the Hartman Group. There
is no set of rules for selling this group;
marketers must try to get inside Millennials’ heads and start charting a
new path. Some advice: Get out and
shop the way they shop.
Meanwhile, companies must find
ways to continue to tap into the expertise of Boomers as emerging leaders
look to take their places and avoid
brain drain as their most experienced
leaders retire.
Just as tough might be figuring
out how to market to Boomers. The
generation born between 1946 and
1964 are not old and will never think
of themselves as old. Not surprisingly,
they dislike the term “aging Boomers”
and they tend to go for brands that
express their personalities, particularly in the categories of technology,
fashion and personal care items. The
youthful need for self-expression is
one trait Boomers share with younger
Generation Xers and Millennials.
Heads up: Wealthy Boomer women are the “marquee players” in our
country’s culture and commerce.
“They are educated, have a high income and make 95 percent of the purchase decisions for their households,”
said Karen Vogel, president of New
Generation Event Solutions.
plans will incorporate digital strategies as greater numbers of members of
ethnic groups, in particular African
Americans and Hispanics, go online
and access digital outlets through
smart phones. Opportunities to reach
them with optimized messaging will
skyrocket.
One example of forward-thinking
marketing: Procter & Gamble’s website, www.myblackisbeautiful.com,
hosted by African-American women,
“a celebration of African-American
beauty in all of its manifestations.”
The campaign, demonstrating P&G’s
commitment to connect with African-American women, includes the
website, a national television show on
BET Networks, a multicity tour and
a discussion guide to enable women
to host their own conversations about
the ways African-American beauty is
reflected in popular media.
The new consumer
Make mine healthy
Marketing to a changing mosaic
Distrust between
the food industry and
consumers is growing
— putting greater emphasis on food safety
and fueling the rocketing sales of organic products.
Not only is food safety growing in
importance, it is becoming remarkably more complicated. The recent
boom in eating out has made the
food chain longer and more complex,
expanding the challenges found in
every link of the chain, according
to Robert Parrish, SGS-Geneva
Consumer Testing Services. Adding
to the supply-side challenge is the
growing consumer trend of buying
ingredients rather than prepared and
heavily processed food. What’s more,
globalization and suppliers selling
to multiple buyers will increase the
likelihood of multiple food safety
The “general market” has disappeared. The cpg/retail industry
must continue to address the growing
importance of the Asian, Hispanic,
African-American and
other ethnic and cultural markets.
Business leaders
will need to become
much more culturally competent,
learning, for instance, new social mores regarding the acceptable portrayal
of women or male-female relationships in various cultures; developing
expertise in the increasingly “out” and
mainstreamed lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgendered market; and taking more seriously consumers in the
$170 billion-a-year Muslim-American
market, who feel ignored by mainstream brands.
Going forward, more business
Food safety and organics
Network of Executive Women
21
10
megatrends
standards, further complicating the
scenario.
Consumer demand has launched
organic product sales, which grew
at a rate of nearly 8 percent in 2010,
bucking the “flat is the new growth”
trend in many other segments of the
economy, according to the Organic
Trade Association. Last year, sales in
the organic market grew more than
$28.6 billion. One success story:
Organic pet food sales are on track to
grow three times faster than sales of
conventional dog food through 2015,
according to industry analyst David
Lummis.
Virtual reality
Connecting with consumers
Retailers and consumer products
marketers must adjust to a world where
customers can do their banking, rent
a car, check airline flight status, scan
bar codes to comparison shop, read
user reviews and more
through their smartphones, tablets and
other mobile devices.
Facebook a nd
Twitter strategies are already musthaves for cpg/retail businesses, and
companies will have to gear digital
outreach not only to laptops but also
customers’ mobile devices.
Customers will wield even greater
power as social media and mobile technology evolve. They already expect to
connect with company employees as
experts who can help them, according
to Forrester Research. The challenge
for executives and managers will be to
figure out how to give those employees
the freedom to respond to customers
creatively and productively through
social media or mobile devices without
compromising company security.
The cpg/retail industry also must
work to remove as many speed bumps
as possible from online sites, mak22
Network of Executive Women
ing registering and logging in as
hassle-free as possible. As customers
reach out, companies will have to
respond quickly. If even a few hours
lapse before a customer hears back,
she’ll likely move on or disengage
completely.
Workforce diversity
Profiting from your changing workforce
An abundance of research supports a focus on diversity and inclusion as a catalyst for
greater productivity
and competitive advantages. Managers
should not just tolerate differences among employees,
they must recognize the value of
differences, combat discrimination,
promote inclusiveness and harvest the
benefits of diverse decision making.
Among the skills that leaders must
have to transform a workplace are
an understanding and acceptance of
managing diversity concepts, recognition that diversity is threaded through
every aspect of management, selfawareness of cultural biases and the
willingness to challenge institutional
barriers to inclusion.
Employee resource groups for
women or people of the same culture,
ethnicity or other common background will continue to evolve into
business resource groups, as savvy
companies tap into a diverse workforce’s experiences to develop new
products and marketing strategies.
Women leaders
Expanding the potential
As cpg/retail companies realize
the competitive advantage of having
women in leadership roles, both women and men will reap new benefits and
face familiar challenges.
Women bring fresh perspectives
to an industry in which women make
the great majority of buying decisions,
including 93 percent of food purchases, according to Too Busy to Shop:
Marketing to Multi-Minding Women.
Companies who want to advance
women to leadership roles must look
at their use of mentors and sponsors,
according to a recent Catalyst study.
Men with mentors are promoted more
and compensated at a higher rate,
while women with mentors are far less
likely to be promoted or paid more as
a result of being mentored. Sponsors
— mentors who advocate for promotions and high-profile development
opportunities — could help narrow
the gender leadership gap.
Even so, women will need to learn
new skills as they manage a new workplace dynamic. For
instance, one of women’s greatest qualities,
relationship building,
may be a liability in
some work environments. “Our
natural relationship-building strength
means we tend to want to please and
be liked, which results in playing it
safe,” says Rebecca Hourston, director
of programs, Aspire. Playing it safe
won’t raise a woman’s work profile or
that of her company.
One area in which women in
leadership roles can make real changes
is work/family balance, an issue that
continues to challenge women. Still,
because women expect female bosses
and employers to be more sensitive toward this struggle, women executives
must be realistic about what the business can support and not overpromise,
according to Nan Mooney of Inc.
magazine.
Globalization
Great customers, tough competitors
Globalization will take on a more
“non-Western” face by the year 2020,
according to the National Intelligence
Council. Most of the increase in world
population and consumer demand
through 2020 will take place in developing nations, especially China, India
and Indonesia, and
multinational companies from today’s
advanced nations must
adapt their profiles and
business practices to the demands of
these cultures, according to the NIC.
There are, however, many potential pitfalls to bringing products and
services to overseas markets. These
include culturally insensitive marketing; ignorance of local preferences in
product size, packaging and pricing;
and differences in tastes and flavors.
Smart organizations are retaining
their best Western business practices
while working with local managers
or regional partners to ensure success.
They are being good world citizens
by respecting the cultural, workplace
and business traditions of the foreign
markets where they do business.
While U.S.-based corporations
continue to expand abroad, foreign
competitors will continue to compete
here. It is worth noting that of the top
five retailers in the world, only one —
Walmart — is based in the United
States. Increasingly tough competition from foreign manufacturers
and retailers will squeeze domestic
companies at home and abroad.
Citizenship at Boston College said
good corporate citizenship helps them
recruit and retain good employees.
Good corporate citizenship —
maintaining high ethical standards,
decreasing the negative effects a company has on the environment and
giving back to the community — is
not the same thing as corporate social
responsibility. Corporate citizenship is
about how a company expresses its values and role in society. Corporate social
responsibility is what society expects of
business, according to Stephen Jordan,
Business Civic Leadership Center.
Expect other cpg companies to
take a lesson from PepsiCo, which
has given away millions of dollars
to worthy projects through its Pepsi
Refresh Project. A website, www.
refresheverything.com, allows users
to propose an idea for funding, vote
for their favorite ideas, post inspiring
stories and join discussions with likeminded folks.
Sustainability
How green is your valley?
Business leaders
with a real passion
for sustainability see
beyond government
regulation and the environment. They see a different kind
of green and consider sustainability
an integral part of value creation, according to findings by The Boston
Consulting Group.
Sustainability plans will take a
larger role in companies’ long-term
strategies as competitive advantage and
profits become linked to eco-friendly
opportunities. More resources will be
put toward reducing environmental
footprint and costs, taking advantage
of renewable energy developments,
meeting the needs of green consumers
and reconfiguring organizations to
succeed in a time when sustainability
Corporate citizenship
Beyond community relations
Money makes the
world go around, but
employers today are
finding they have to
care about more than
just profits if they want to keep their
investors, their customers and their
employees happy.
Thirty percent of employers surveyed by the Center for Corporate
equals survivability.
Companies will spend more time
and capital measuring how much
trash is produced each year and
the percentage that gets recycled,
how much water is consumed annually and other metrics. The challenge,
however, will be balancing sustainability with growth, profits and risk to
operations and reputation.
Consolidation and convergence
Merging companies, blurring channels
Separate channels for food, drug
and other categories have been fading
fast — and might be gone for good.
From the shopper’s
standpoint, brick-andmortar stores, e-commerce, social media
and mobile blend to
create a new retail reality.
While retailers often view their
channels as separate entities, shoppers
will increasingly perceive them as
one, rarely distinguishing between a
retailer’s multiple channels. Instead,
they perceive the shopping experience
as an “intra-channel blur,” according
to Lynn Gonsior of Interbrand.
To compete, retailers must provide
the holistic multichannel experience
that shoppers expect. For example,
retailers offering customers online
purchases must provide for an in-store
pick-up option, according to Gonsior.
Retailers will have to maintain
or build their core strengths and
protect their brand positioning, and
at the same time offer more value,
convenience and service. It will be a
tough balancing act, but “embracing complexity — or even, at times,
paradox — is a must,” retail designer
Joseph Bona told Chain Store Age. n
Sources: blackenterprise.com, blogs.imediaconnection.
com, businessweek.com, catalyst.org, Deloitte, developmentinstitute.org, ehow.com, goodcorporatecitizen.com,
hartman-group.com, inc.com, latimes.com, multicultural.
com, nypost.com, organicnewsroom.com, thecmosite.com,
ucsf.edu, smallbiztrends.com, womensmedia.com.
Network of Executive Women
23
10
things you can do
How to advance women,
build diversity
and grow your business
Our workforces are more diverse than our leadership.
Changing that is difficult — but the rewards are great.
1
Start at the top. Studies show that
management diversity is critical
to success; experience shows that the
commitment of a firm’s senior leaders
is critical to achieving it. And while
CEO and c-suite commitment is key,
it’s just the beginning.
include internal training and external
education. (The Network hosts three
national conferences and more than
30 regional events each year.)
6
Rethink work. Organizations
need to meet the diverse needs
of its employees if they expect to
Think outside the box. Diversity keep them motivated and productive.
is not just a matter of gender and Most important, organizations must
race, but factors like age, ethnicity, end the invisible penalties too often
language, education, experience, cul- attached to family leave, career offture and sexual orientation. The more ramps and other work/life options.
your decision makers look like your
customers, the more insights, affinity
Mentor. Managers without menand sales you’ll get.
tors or sponsors don’t climb far up
the corporate ladder. Partner emergEmbed diversity into your corpo- ing leaders with senior executives in
rate DNA. To be successful, di- one-on-one mentoring relationships
versity should be owned by everyone, and encourage them to take advannot just senior management and HR. tage of external mentoring opporIt needs to be embedded into every tunities. (Many of the Network’s 17
process and program, from compen- regions have mentoring programs.)
sation schemes to product development. (Learn more at the NEW CPG
Turn your ERGs to BRGs. Turn
Retail Diversity Forum, next spring
employee resource groups into
in Chicago.)
business resource groups that provide
multicultural insights and product
Don’t stop at diversity. The real innovation. You’ll increase productivrewards of diversity are depen- ity, retention and, most important,
dent on the inclusion of diverse ideas diversity in decision making.
in your decision making. To achieve
both diversity and inclusion, you need
Benchmark. Measure diversity
a corporate culture that values every
efforts against past performance
voice and understands that good ideas — and your competition — and use
can come from anywhere.
this knowledge to compete.
2
7
3
8
4
9
5
Nurture talent. Fast-track high-
potential female and diverse
managers and give them career paths
to follow. Promote their development
through individual career plans that
24
Network of Executive Women
10
Network. Give high-potential
employees visibility inside
your firm and throughout the industry. The Network of Executive Women is a great place to start. We are
nearly 4,000 consumer products and
retail executives, 17 regional groups
and 72 national sponsors working
together to create a more diverse,
vibrant consumer products and retail
industry. Our members — 1 in 12 of
them men — range from associates to
CEOs and represent every retail channel and product category. n
Let’s work together
The Network of Executive Women is
a unique membership organization
designed to advance your career
and build your business. Members
get an array of benefits, including
national conferences, webinars,
diversity best practices, research
and online collaboration and
networking tools. Find out how you
can change your industry, yourself
and your organization today.
NEW Leadership Summit 2011
September 19-20, Orlando
newonline.org/summit
NEW regional events
newonline.org/events
Network membership
newonline.org/join
News and alerts
newnewsletter.org/subscribe
Follow us
facebook.com/newnational
twitter.com/newnational
newonline.org/linkedin
newonline.org
Join us on the red carpet
Awards ceremony, dinner and afterparty honoring the Network’s first-ever
Diversity Hall of Fame inductees (read their stories on pages 8-12).
Monday, September 19, 6:30 pm
register
now
newonli
ne.org
Keynote speakers
September 19-20 | Orlando
Buena Vista Palace Hotel and Spa
Maddy Dychtwald
Alison Levine
How women’s economic
power will change the world
From Goldman Sachs
to Mount Everest
Featured speakers
Mike Gorshe
Partner, Consumer Products and Services Practice
Accenture
Cathy Smith
Chief Financial Officer
Walmart International
Jerry Wilson
SVP, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer
The Coca-Cola Company
Steve Knox
Former CEO, P&G Tremor
and many more
Plus
NEW Leadership Academy
bonus pre-event workshops
12 breakout sessions
on work, life and leadership
Corporate Athlete® optional half-day
Align body, mind and spirit September 21
Unrivaled networking
Diversity Hall of Fame dinner and afterparty,
Summit luncheon, breakfast and breaks
G
et ready for the next 10 years of change at the
Network’s 10th anniversary NEW Leadership Summit,
September 19-20 in Orlando.
Prepare alongside nearly a
thousand cpg/retail executives and
emerging leaders – men and women –
as you explore new opportunities in
your career, work and life.
You’ll hear how women’s buying
power will transform our industry from
Maddy Dychtwald, author and authority on women’s influence.
And you’ll be inspired by climber Alison Levine, who’ll tell you
what it’s like to lead a team – at 28,000 feet.
Choose from 12 breakout sessions, including motivating
your team, building better trading partner relationships,
managing “brand you,” leveraging social media and more.
Take two days and prepare for the next decade. Join
the Network online at newonline.org/join for just $200 per year,
then register for the Summit at newonline.org/summit.
Follow us
facebook.com/newnational
twitter.com/newnational
newonline.org/linkedin
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newonline.org
for our full agenda and registration visit
newonline.org/summit
10
greatest
And the
winners are...
Agree or disagree with our rankings?
Vote for your favorites at newonline.org/greatest
Kathryn Bigelow beat ex-husband James Cameron for
best director.
Buzz makers
When it comes to generating buzz, Oprah is the
all-time champ.
1. Oprah Winfrey
6. Kate Middleton
2. Lady Gaga
7. Ellen DeGeneres
3. Sarah Palin
8. Angelina Jolie
4. Beyoncé Knowles
9. Anna Wintour
5. Arianna Huffington
10. Madonna
Tough cookies
Forget the Disney version, legendary warrior Mulan
kicked it for real.
1.Hua Mulan
6.Rosa Parks
2.Joan of Arc
7.Cleopatra
3.Harriet Tubman
8.Marie Curie
4.Queen Elizabeth I
9.Jane Goodall
5.Sacagawea
10. Florence Nightingale
Women’s anthems
“I Am Woman” is the obvious answer, but no one beats
the Queen of Soul.
1.Respect Aretha Franklin, 1968
2.I Am Woman
Helen Reddy, 1972
3.Independent Women
Destiny’s Child, 2001
4.Ain’t Nobody’s Business If
I Do Bessie Smith, 1923
5.I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor, 1979
6.I’m A Woman Peggy Lee, 1962
7.Girls Just Want to Have Fun Cyndi Lauper, 1982
8.These Boots Are Made for Walking Nancy Sinatra, 1966
9.Man! I Feel Like A Woman Shania Twain, 1997
10. Superwoman Alicia Keyes, 2007
26
Network of Executive Women
Chick flicks
Julia Robert’s Erin Brockovich
is smart, sexy and tough as nails.
1.Erin Brockovich, 2000
2.Beaches, 1988
3.Thelma & Louise, 1991
4.His Girl Friday, 1940
5.Julia, 1977
6.Norma Rae, 1979
7.Dirty Dancing, 1987
8.Steel Magnolias, 1989
9.Waiting to Exhale, 1995
10. Terms of Endearment, 1983
Moments women cheered
It was “game over” when Billie Jean King
trounced Bobby Riggs.
1.Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in
the “Battle of the Sexes,” 1973.
2.Amelia Earhart makes solo transatlantic flight, 1932.
3.Title IX outlaws gender discrimination
in education programs receiving Federal funds, 1972.
4.The Washington Post’s Katharine Graham
becomes first CEO of Fortune 500 company, 1972.
5.Sandra Day O’Connor dons robes
of U.S. Supreme Court justice, 1981.
6.Sally Ride orbits the earth, 1983.
7.Bonnie Blair wins fifth Olympic gold medal
in Lillehammer, Norway, 1994.
8.Geraldine Ferraro gets Democratic Party’s
nod for VP, 1984.
9.“The Hurt Locker” helmer Kathryn Bigelow
beats ex-husband James Cameron
to win Academy Award, 2010.
10.Victor Mills develops Pampers
for Procter & Gamble, 1961.
At PepsiCo, Performance with Purpose means delivering sustainable growth by investing
in a healthier future for people and our planet. We will continue to build a portfolio of
enjoyable and healthier foods and beverages, find innovative ways to reduce the use of
energy, water and packaging, and provide a great workplace for our associates.
Because a healthier future for all people and our planet
means a more successful future for PepsiCo.
www.pepsico.com
Leaders in Excellence
Kraft Foods congratulates the Network of Executive Women on
10 years of excellence in advancing women within our industry
Kraft Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. For information about employment opportunities
with Kraft Foods, please visit www.kraftfoodscompany.com/careers