Colgate-Palmolive Co.
New York, NY
36,000+ employees
CEO: Ian M. Cook
CDE: Eugene Kelly
www.colgate.com
Diversity mission: The diversity of Colgate people around the world is vital to indentifying new solutions to business challenges and new opportunities from unique perspectives. Our differences are recognized and appreciated as the traits that make each of us who we are. We celebrate diversity in our people because we know that it is these differences that are the foundations of our continued achievement.
The rich diversity of its people, thinking, talent and suppliers is key Colgate’s success, according to Ian Cook, chairman, president and CEO. He says, “Recognizing and valuing the many differences that make us who we are is vital to our culture. This diversity includes more than the obvious traits, like nationality, culture, race, and gender. Our diversity also encompasses many differences that are not so easily seen, such as life experiences, religion, sexual orientation, and family situations, just to name a few. These differences bring a depth and variety of ideas to our business. They are the keys to finding new solutions to business challenges and new opportunities from unique insights. Creating an inclusive environment is absolutely critical to ensuring that we can benefit from these diverse ideas and perspectives.” Colgate sees its employees as its greatest asset, and it remains committed to maintaining an environment that celebrates employees’ differences, values their contributions, and provides opportunities for their personal and professional growth. With more than 36,000 people from around the world, the diverse knowledge, backgrounds, ideas, and talents shared among its employees provide Colgate with a competitive advantage and helps drive its global success. It allows the company to better understand the needs of consumers and business partners and react quickly to change in the more than 200 countries and territories where it markets its products. “Our objective is to live our Managing with Respect principles by fostering an inclusive workplace that mirrors the diversity of the global marketplace. Such an environment will provide all Colgate people with the opportunity to make unique contributions to our overall business success,” says Eugene Kelly, worldwide director, global diversity and inclusion. In addition, Colgate’s supplier diversity team encourages relationships with minority-owned and women-owned businesses that meet or exceed expectations for quality, speed, innovation and cost effectiveness. Colgate also remains committed to enhancing the communities where its employees live and work. Educational and cultural programs have been established to benefit and empower families in communities worldwide. Also, by understanding that consumers in each market have distinctive its own unique purchasing preferences and product needs, Colgate can effectively compete in multicultural markets, providing products that specifically fit the needs of customers. In the U.S., where recent census data confirms that Hispanic-American, African-American, and Asian-American markets are the fastest-growing consumer markets in both numbers and purchasing power, Colgate’s U.S. multicultural marketing organization focuses on driving growth in these important markets and providing the products its consumers need.
