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Sodexo
U.S. HEADQUARTERS
Gaithersburg, Md.
Sodexo’s placement in the top two for three years in a row is an indication of how seriously this company takes the link between diversity management and its business goals. Sodexo is absolutely the best at measuring what is effective and using the data analysis to drive improvement. The company consistently uses its diversity efforts as the competitive differentiator in its business growth.
It really starts with the top at this facil-ities-management company. President and
CEO George Chavel, a long-time diversity
leader who has spoken at our events numerous times, is the gold standard
for holding people accountable
for diversity results. Chavel
meets with resource groups every
quarter and links 25 percent of
the compensation of his senior
reports to their successful completion of corporate and personal
diversity goals.
2012
Senior Vice President and
Global Chief Diversity Officer
Dr. Rohini Anand, who has been the driving
force in this company’s amazing diversity
success, reports to Chavel and has a key say
in business initiatives. For a video from our
event on how they make it work, go to www.
DiversityInc.com/cdo-relationships.
Sodexo’s formal mentoring program
is the best we’ve seen anywhere in corporate America. In 2011, every one of its
executive-committee members was involved
LEADERSHIP
in mentoring partnerships. Its signature
IMPACT mentoring program had 125
partnerships, 94 percent of which were
cross-divisional and 74 percent of which
were cross-cultural. Three of its
resource groups had customized
mentoring programs.
The company’s Diversity
Business Leadership Summit,
aimed at employees and clients,
has become a model for other
companies trying to set up
business-focused diversity events.
The summit, which was featured
at DiversityInc’s Innovation Fest!,
had 634 attendees, including 117 clients, and
a waiting list of more than 300 people.
Sodexo continues to improve the diversity of its demographics at all levels. The
year 2011 was a record year in college hires
for the company, with 153 hires, almost half
of whom were women and more than 40
percent of whom were Black, Latino, Asian
or American Indian. At the executive level,
almost all slates presented were diverse.
GEORGE CHAVEL
• PRESIDENT AND CEO
“We are celebrating a 10-year diversity journey that has enriched,
informed and improved our business and led to a systemic culture
change. Through the inclusion of people and the integration of
diversity of thought, we are better able to design, manage and deliver
quality-of-life services to our customers and meet the needs and
expectations of the communities we serve. While our progress is exciting and impactful, there
are still many opportunities yet to be realized. Our partnership with DiversityInc ensures we are
benchmarking against the most forward-thinking companies and identifying opportunities to
further embed diversity and inclusion into our culture.”
DR. ROHINI ANAND
• SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GLOBAL CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER
“Our accomplishments represent the strong, ongoing commitment
we have to diversity and inclusion. However, success only means we
must raise the bar, identify new opportunities and embed diversity
and inclusion deeper into our organizational culture. The top-
down, bottom-up, middle-out approach is what drives innovative
perspectives, allows us to respond to our clients in a holistic way and, most importantly, reach
untapped potential within the marketplace, providing a competitive advantage.”
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