SOARing Achievements in Diversity

Coca-Cola promotes opportunities for women, earns rewards

By Christine Lafave, Associate Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 5/23/2007

Calling diversity in the workplace “a business imperative of the highest order,” President of Coca-Cola Foodservice Chris Lowe accepted the Women’s Foodservice Forum’s (WFF) 2007 Jackie B. Trujillo SOAR Award on behalf of Atlanta, Ga.’s The Coca-Cola Company in Chicago on Monday. The SOAR Award, presented at the WFF’s Annual Leadership Luncheon, honors commitment to helping women in the foodservice industry advance in their profession. The award is sponsored by U.S. Foodservice.

WFF President Mary Bentley said Coca-Cola has done an excellent job of providing women opportunities to advance within the company. “We congratulate Coca-Cola for supporting the industrywide mission of elevating women leaders and creating a culture in which female employees are supported and encouraged to seek and achieve their highest potential,” she said.

The WFF partnered with diversity management publisher DiversityInc this year to measure gender diversity in the foodservice industry. Coca-Cola ranked No. 5 on DiversityInc’s list of top 10 companies for recruitment and retention of women. Additionally, Coca-Cola ties 20 percent of management bonuses to diversity success, and diversity training is mandatory for all employees. The company’s Women’s Forum allows women to share their experiences and network internally and externally.

“The whole area of diversity is an area where there’s no goal line,” Lowe said after the luncheon. The SOAR Award represents recognition of “progress on a journey,” he added.

Bentley echoed Lowe’s comments. “It’s not a start-and-stop effort,” she said, noting that it’s important for companies to continue to develop their pipeline of talent. Bentley said she is encouraged by the growing number of companies that employ a diversity director. “More and more companies are seeing the value in training and developing their women leaders,” she said.

Aspects of Coca-Cola’s corporate culture that set the company apart and helped it earn the SOAR distinction, Bentley said, include a top down commitment to diversity efforts and a willingness to put money behind diversity related initiatives and goals. Additionally, the company does a good job of communicating to employees that it values a diverse workforce, she said.

The Women’s Foodservice Forum was founded in 1989 as a way to help given women in the foodservice industry the resources they need to advance in their profession. The organization numbers more than 3,000 members from industry segments including restaurant operations, manufacturing, distribution, publishing and consulting.