2015 Diversity Leader
Coca Cola Enterprises
Headquarters: Middlesex, United Kingdom
CEO: John Brock
Employees: 11,906
Recent Recognition Includes:
- Best Place to Work in Belgium, 2013
- Best European Diversity Team of the Year, 2013
- Washburne Award for Innovation in Diversity (France), 2013
- Nominated for the Race for Opportunity Award (UK), 2013
- Honorable Mention, Diversity Innovation Award, Profiles in Diversity Journal, 2013
Thais Compoint
For the world’s third largest independent Coca Cola bottler, fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace has been the key to better engagement, says Associate Director Diversity & Inclusion Europe Thais Compoint.
“My role as a D&I practitioner has definitely evolved in a positive way over the past five years. Before, the focus of the work was more on managing reputational risks and opportunities, and aligning with the increasingly demanding legislation related to D&I topics in Europe. The subject was seen as an HR or CRS topic, and programs were more one-shot and less interlinked with business challenges.
“Today, with all the demographic changes that are taking place, the business case for D&I becomes more and more robust. The latest neuroscience research on unconscious bias explains why a diverse and inclusive workforce isn’t as “naturally occurring” as we’d like it to be. Social psychology research and change management techniques have helped us to create more effective tools to promote D&I.
“That’s why, at Coca Cola Enterprises, D&I is high on the business agenda. We’re succeeding at creating a movement where business leaders see the benefits of (and take responsibility for) creating a diverse and inclusive working environment. We’re focusing our efforts more and more on fostering an inclusive culture, as opposed to just increasing diversity numbers. And we’re seeing a strong link between D&I and engagement.
“While D&I in the workplace and in the community remains our major focus, we’re also starting to tackle diversity issues in our market place, and helping to strengthen our relationships with customers and suppliers, in particular with the temporary labor agencies.
“Finally, as we make progress in gender diversity, we’re increasingly broadening the focus to other D&I strands, such as work-life integration and generational diversity.”
