PepsiCo is a founding partner and 20-plus year-sponsor of the Executive Leadership Council, which helps African-American men and women advance.

Sponsoring the first leadership program specifically devoted to the needs of multicultural women was a watershed moment for this consumer goods company, which signed on in 2007 as a corporate partner of Ascent, an organization that seeks leadership roles for multicultural women. Today, the company’s top female employees rely on the program’s development education, peer counseling and executive coaching to shepherd them from their first jobs all the way into corporate leadership roles. Top execs also nurture high-potential talent by frequently mentoring two women in positions below them, and a group of managers are involved in Power Pairs, a unique initiative that strengthens their relationships with female employees of color. The Women of Color Multicultural Alliance helps to drive diversity initiatives and collaborates closely with separate advisory boards dedicated to female, African-American and Hispanic employees. Networking groups throughout the country help bring women of color together to discuss relevant issues or listen to speakers on topics such as “The Interrelationship Between Confidence and Competence.” Diversity and inclusion goals are part of senior executives’ performance objectives. The number of multicultural women in executive-level jobs has doubled since 2002, when the company began tracking their representation.

Multicultural Women 9%
Chairman & CEO Indra Nooyi
SVP, Chief Global Diversity & Inclusion Officer Ron Parker

At PepsiCo, multicultural women represent…
4% of corporate executives
6% of senior managers
6% of the top earners
19% of the company hires
14% of the company lossesNot tracked % of participants in mentoring programs
Not tracked % of participants in career counseling programs