Special Kraft training sessions help multicultural employees focus on how smart planning and good networking can advance their careers.

This top food company understands that good relationships are the foundation of success for multicultural women. It encourages relationship-building through its new Peer Coaching program. Women and people of color bring their managers along for meetings with directors or vice presidents, who facilitate discussions about how the women can become more effective in their roles. For example, an employee planning to move to corporate headquarters from the field might be coached by a senior leader who has made a similar transition. In a company this large, such programs are crucial; in fact, 45% of current employees are mentors or mentees. The Insights Mentoring initiative for women in the supply chain (including customer service, logistics, distribution and manufacturing) provides them with a connection to higher-ups who can help them improve their technical skills and knowledge of corporate culture. Additionally, ten employee networks offer formal one-on-one mentoring as well as “pods,” or small-group mentoring, as pioneered by the company’s African-American Council. These mentoring pods have become so popular that they are now spreading to field locations and management centers company-wide. In the meantime, each business unit creates its own plans to retain and develop women of color, which the CEO reviews quarterly or annually. Also impressive, special training sessions at the company help multicultural employees focus on how smart planning and good networking can help advance their careers.

Multicultural Women 12%
Chairman & CEO Irene Rosenfeld
VP, Diversity James Norman

At Kraft, multicultural women represent…
9% of corporate executives
4% of senior managers
6% of the top earners
45% of the company hires
70% of the company lossesNot tracked % of participants in mentoring programs
Not tracked % of participants in career counseling programs