Misel Ahom: D&I Enables Competitiveness, Agility & Innovation & Beiersdorf

Diversity & Inclusion has evolved from being a side project to a key business imperative. We speak to Misel Ahom, the Global Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Beiersdorf on what goes into successful D&I efforts, how to hold leaders accountable, and the challenges of pushing this agenda forward. 

   

You are on the advisory board of BeyondGender Agenda, the D&I network in Germany. On their website, you said that diversity and inclusion are a global imperative that requires great partnerships and focused efforts. Can you elaborate on the kind of partnerships you’re talking about?  

 

I firmly believe that we are stronger together. Partnering with external organizations – be it other leading companies, networks, or NGOs – will help us to collectively advance the D&I agenda and enable us to more powerfully shape the impact of D&I both within and outside of Beiersdorf. For example, being a member of LEAD or BeyondGenderAgenda, networks that are both actively driving D&I, gives us a platform where we can exchange, share best practices, and partner with like-minded individuals and organizations that share similar ambitions. This ensures that we do not reinvent the wheel and instead focus on where we can have the biggest collective impact. All members are working towards a common goal but bring in different levels of expertise, experience, and perspectives, and bringing that together provides a strong catalyst for change. 

Diversity and Inclusion is extremely complex and multi-dimensional, so you need the expertise of others to make an impact. 

 

How can business leaders start forming those partnerships? 

 

It starts with a will and the first step is wanting to form partnerships, either internally or externally, and acknowledging that when it comes to D&I it is tough going at it alone. In order to become more inclusive and equitable, most organizations need outside partnerships to really move the needle.  

Once the will is there, the next step is approaching a potential partner that shares the same vision or ambition. It is important to go out there and start making connections, and there are many ways to do so, either via a strong personal or professional network, attending conferences and events linked to D&I etc.   

Once the partnership has been established it goes without saying that you have to commit to building and nourishing the partnership so that it becomes a mutual-beneficial, sustainable relationship that helps both parties to successfully move towards achieving their ambitions. 

In an organization like Beiersdorf, forming sustainable partnerships is really embedded in our overall approach. It is fundamental to our corporate agenda and essential to our corporate commitment to driving a more equitable organization, which in turn will drive a more inclusive society. 

 

Some of your work is around LGBTIQ+ representation in the workplace. What have been the most common challenges faced by companies in trying to create an inclusive environment for this community?  

 

 
Because there are often so few role models that are openly and visibly part of the LGBTIQ+, particularly at the more senior levels in an organization, there is still a long way to go, and many barriers that continue to exist. 

One of the biggest barriers is when people perceive the corporate culture not to be safe, resulting in a fear that coming out at work might potentially have negative consequences, either in terms of their acceptance within the organization or a detrimental impact on their career. It is important for organizations to create an environment where people feel enough psychological safety to be who they are, and that they can be their authentic selves with no fear of consequences. If colleagues are having to hide part of their identity, it impacts us as an organization because they are not able to thrive to their full potential. 

Another common challenge is that different people in the organization are at different stages of awareness and understanding of the challenges that LGBTIQ+ colleagues are facing in the workplace and not having strong allies openly taking a stand. Therefore, education is key, as is the importance of taking a clear stand as an organization both internally and externally. Additionally, it’s also important to provide people with the tools needed to really live inclusion in this space all day, every day, and all year round. 

A key success factor in addressing the challenge of LGBTIQ+ inclusion is to ensure that the right people have a seat around the table, they are being seen and their voices are being heard.  

In Beiersdorf, we are tremendously supported by our very strong and active grassroots community called Be You, consisting of both members of the LGBTIQ+ community as well as allies, who represent the voices of our employees that identify as LGBTIQ+ and help us to shape an agenda to build a more inclusive culture. Bringing it back to partnerships, this is critical as well. Bringing in the expertise of organizations striving for equity for the LGBTIQ+ community is crucial in elevating your efforts. 

   

How can HR leaders hold the rest of their organization’s top management accountable for D&I outcomes? 

 

There are several levers we are pulling to increase the accountability of our leadership within the context of D&I, though there are undoubtedly more. The more diverse and inclusive we become, the better we can tailor to the needs of our diverse global consumer base by developing compelling product propositions, and the more attractive we will be for the future generation of leaders, so it’s a win-win-win. 

As such, we work hard to establish the mindset within the organization that Diversity & Inclusion is not only an HR topic – it’s a business topic that is relevant for the whole company because of the benefits it brings not just from a people perspective, but a business perspective.  

D&I is a key pillar within our overall corporate strategy and is fully endorsed by top management because we are convinced that it enables us as an organization to be more competitive, innovative, agile, and flexible in this increasingly volatile world. 

We also define crystal clear leadership expectations when it comes to our D&I agenda and set specific goals, objectives & KPIs both on a corporate level and embedded within individual leadership objectives, partly linked to financial rewards. The old adage “what gets measured gets done” does hold true. By making the data transparent and measuring progress against set KPIs, it is easy to identify where the pain points are, hold individual leaders accountable, and ensure action plans are defined to close the gaps.  

We place great value on the actual lived experience of our employees, and we want to give our employees the opportunity to reflect back to us if we are being successful in creating a more inclusive culture where they feel a stronger sense of belonging. This is why we run employee engagement surveys and include questions on diversity and inclusion.  This is the organization telling us whether we are doing a good job and getting better. There is almost no greater sense of accountability than that. It’s about hearing the voices of our employees and actioning their feedback. 

 

What do you think the future of work looks like in terms of D&I? 

 

Simply stated, those organizations that do not embrace and embed D&I as part of their overall corporate strategy will lose their edge and ability to attract the right talent. I really believe it’s the only way forward both for organizations as well as society. 

I am also convinced that when it comes to Diversity and Inclusion, we will continue to make progress, otherwise, I would be in the wrong job. I do believe it is an ever-growing movement and that the understanding of why it is important is also growing. Coupled with the fact that we live in a world that is so interconnected, the potential for change is encouraging and it’s what motivates me to keep going. 

But, it is a work in progress and an ongoing journey. Whilst I am hopeful because I do see traction, we should aim for a transformation because there is a long road ahead. 

 

What is one thing you hope attendees will take away from your speech, People Drive Innovation: From Diversity and Inclusion to a World Class Product Portfolio, at the ME Executive Day?  

 

Representation matters, a lot. We need diverse representation both in communication and in catering to the needs of our diverse global consumers.  From a communication perspective, we have a tremendously global media platform and with that comes the responsibility to shape the imagery that people see and demonstrate what an inclusive society looks like.  

In terms of catering to the needs of our consumers, everyone uses skincare products, everyone wants to feel good in their skin and we need to ensure that everyone can, and no one is left behind. If we get that right, everyone will benefit. 

*Answers have been edited for clarity.