At AkzoNobel, we’re committed to fostering a workplace that values and promotes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I). We believe that embracing diversity, ensuring equity and fostering inclusion are not only ethical imperatives, but also essential drivers of our long-term success. Our DE&I strategy sets forth our vision, principles and objectives to create a respectful work environment where everyone can unleash their full potential.

It’s important to highlight that we don’t tolerate unfair treatment or discrimination due to a person’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, disability, pregnancy, marital status, nationality, chronic illness and/or any other status. We ensure that employees of all backgrounds feel equally valued, receive the right opportunities to progress their careers and have the freedom to be their best selves at work. This fair treatment is integral to all personnel matters including, but not limited to, compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, lay-offs, return from lay-offs, company-sponsored training, education, tuition assistance, and social and recreational programs.

​​​​​​​The objective of this DE&I position paper is to guide behavior and position our passionate commitment to achieving the following pillars.

Diversity

We strive for a workplace where managers are enthusiastic about building and sustaining diverse teams and are equipped with the tools to do so. This includes empowering our Talent Acquisition teams to tap into a wide array of talent pools, while also educating hiring managers about the benefits of cultivating diverse teams within a respectful and trustworthy environment. We also included Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as a specific driver of our employee engagement platform, Voices. This supports people managers in understanding what requires their attention in their journey towards creating an even more diverse, inclusive and respectful environment for their teams.

We're determined to enhance the diverse representation throughout our organization, particularly at executive and leadership level. For more information on DE&I at executive and leadership level, see our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy for the executive level, Board of Management and Supervisory Board.

We consider that the promotion and mobilization of internal talent are fundamental, which is why we’ve thoroughly assessed the pipeline leading to the executive level and have embarked on a journey that will enable us to provide growth opportunities for identified talent. Gender representation remains at the core of our diversity efforts and we're fully aware of the impact of female representation. We're rigorously working towards improving our gender representation, while offering interesting and challenging prospects to our talent. We acknowledge that diversity goes beyond gender and we strive for diversity in all its forms.

Equity

We're all about building trust among our employees: ensuring consistent application processes, treatment and support across the organization through our policies and ways of working, and eliminating the impacts of bias. This encompasses transparent processes and policies, coupled with proactive evolution for the better. An example is our commitment to having periodic reviews of our gender pay gap with the help of an independent third party. 

Equity also entails recognizing that people have needs and may require different resources to perform at their best. We’ve established guidelines encouraging employees with disabilities to request support through our Equal Access Board and have outlined the infrastructural requirements for our current and future offices and warehouses.

Moreover, we're on a continuous journey to create manufacturing and supply chain locations that are appealing and accommodating for women, laying the foundation for our future workforce, where we expect higher female representation.

Inclusion

Inclusion holds the key to unlocking individual potential. Every member of our team should feel a strong sense of belonging and a genuine desire to be their true selves. Our DE&I agents play a crucial role in spreading this message, setting the tone through their inclusive behavior and facilitating workshops to raise awareness and educate about various aspects of DE&I. Our DE&I networks, each with its unique focus, are vital in creating an inclusive and thriving environment:

• The Women Inspired Network (WIN) tackles gender-related challenges, steering positive transformation
• The True Colors network advocates for LGBTI+ inclusion, increasing awareness of diverse work experiences
• The Equal Access Board, featuring senior leaders from diverse functions and regions, swiftly addresses the needs of employees with disabilities
• The Vibe network fosters discussions and understanding about race and ethnicity, enriching our collective cultural awareness
• Finally, our Inclusive Language Guides further support respectful conversations among colleagues

Our company-wide employee engagement platform, Voices, includes a section dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The relevant data points help us identify areas that require attention and we’ll continue to work towards supporting people managers in creating a diverse, inclusive and respectful place to work.

Our steady conviction underscores the fact that prioritizing DE&I isn't just ethically right – it's a smart business move. We continuously educate our teams about the numerous advantages of diversity in an inclusive environment, anchoring our initiatives in data-driven insights. It's worth noting that DE&I isn't confined to HR; it's involved in diverse areas and functions, led by our dedicated leaders. Our DE&I Sounding Board stands as an open forum for senior leaders to share perspectives, experiences and ideas, enriching the decision-making of our Center of Excellence experts. 

Our external collaborations are vital pillars of support, helping us tap into diverse talent, network with like-minded organizations and provide a platform for discussions and best practices. In 2023, our partnerships encompass DisabilityIN, G-Work, along with renewed commitments to the UN Global Compact's Gender Equality program. AkzoNobel’s signing of the Declaration of Amsterdam by Workplace Pride and the Women Empowerment Principles by the UN Global Compact underscores our dedication.

Conclusion

Our solid commitment to fostering DE&I within AkzoNobel isn't just a promise – it’s a commitment towards a more inclusive future. As we navigate the dynamic world of global business, we continuously advance our DE&I efforts, understanding that diversity drives innovation, equity ensures fairness and inclusion empowers every individual to excel. 

For more information about our DE&I Policy, please click here.