Paradigm for Parity® Honors Black History Month with an Interview from Elizabeth Adefioye, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Ingredion Inc.
To commemorate Black History Month, the Paradigm for Parity® coalition spoke with Elizabeth Adefioye, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Ingredion Inc. She is a champion of diversity and equity at this Fortune 500 global ingredients solution company. Adefioye’s leadership has transformed Ingredion’s corporate culture, attracting and elevating exceptional talent including people of color.
Adefioye was most recently featured in the Diversity Woman Inaugural Elite 100 Black Women Leaders changing the face of Corporate America and was also listed among the Most Powerful Women in Corporate America by Black Enterprise. Elizabeth serves on the board of directors for the Society for Human Resource Management as well as Skills for Chicagoland’s Future.
Why did Ingredion join the Paradigm for Parity® coalition?
Adefioye: Joining Paradigm for Parity® is an important step in declaring our goal and commitment towards gender parity. We know this commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is not only the morally right thing to do, it is essential to creating an organization where both the people and the business thrive. Becoming more diverse and inclusive will help us become more resilient, customer-centric, and agile as a company — and will ultimately enable us to continue delivering on our company purpose to “make life better” for not only our employees, but our customers and communities as well. We are proud to partner with like-minded companies to champion gender equality as part of the Paradigm for Parity® Coalition.
When you look at the Paradigm for Parity® coalition 5-Point Action Plan, is there a particular step that you think is most critical to ensuring women of color have the same opportunities for advancement as their colleagues?
Adefioye: Yes, while the 5 Point Action Plan covers a broad range of commitments, to ensure women of color have the same opportunities for advancement as their white colleagues at Ingredion, we are being very deliberate and intentional about how we go about this. We have accelerated our efforts to increase sponsorship and mentorship for our female black employees. We have created opportunities for our leaders to get to know our high potential, high-performing female black employees so that they can advocate for them when positions become open. We began this in December 2019, and we have seen positive movement since then.
Since implementing the Action Plan, have you seen the rise of women, and specifically Black women, in your workplace?
Adefioye: The simple answer is yes. Since implementing the program just over a year ago, we have seen an increase of Black employees. We have seen a rise of women and women of color in executive level. But we need to continue to be intentional about attraction and advancement of Black women. Studies have shown that women are having a worse experience than men. Women of color, in particular, are having a worse experience than white women. And Black women are having the worst experience of all. We recognize that Black women and other women of color face a uniquely challenging combination of sexism and racism, and that is often overlooked. We are committed to addressing specific barriers that are holding Black women back. We are very vocal about our gender parity goal, and we ensure that any gender initiative at Ingredion is tailored to all women, not only white women, which tends to happen.
Black History Month 2021 has the unique challenges of a pandemic and an economic downturn. How are you honoring and celebrating your employees during Black History Month?
Adefioye: Over the years, Black history has been systemically suppressed in our education system. For this reason, most of the achievements of African Americans have not been acknowledged and duly recognized. This lack of acknowledgment (in my opinion) is at the root of misunderstanding around the essence of White privilege and the Black Lives Matter movement. What better way to commemorate Black History Month, especially in a pandemic, than to ensure that Black employees feel seen, heard and validated.
Like most organizations, this pandemic has challenged the way we connect and continue to build relationships. This has caused us to pivot and focus attention on amplifying the voices of our African American employees, in a virtual forum. We have engaged in casual Lunch and Learn and other social type events, where we connect and share stories. With virtual events, we are able to increase attendance and reach more employees at multiple locations. These virtual events provide learning opportunities that highlight our Black history and expand our understanding of the effects of systemic racism. We have invited African American leaders in our industry and community to share their stories and join in panel discussions on challenging topics. Their openness and vulnerability have allowed employees to share their own stories, building the foundation for a culture of understanding and true inclusivity in our organization.
We are also honoring Black History Month by publicly highlighting African American employees (at all levels) in different business areas. This is a public declaration that African Americans do belong here, and we are committed to ensuring that they are both seen and heard. The financial impact of COVID-19 disproportionately affected Black businesses and resulted in the closing of 41% of Black businesses, most of which were restaurants in our community. We supported a local business and restaurant owner, Chef Pierre Thiam, who is also an author and social activist. Chef Thiam is best known for bringing West African cuisine to the global fine-dining world. We invited him to virtually take us on a journey to explore the Middle passage and the influences of West African cuisines in the Americas.
What conversations are you having to advocate for, lift up and advise women of color to help them succeed in your workplace?
Adefioye: Conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion — and about advancement of women at all levels — are now a regular part of our culture, our talent management processes and business reviews. Currently, we are having a lot of conversations around our succession processes and policies. We need to ensure that they are not creating more inequities and roadblocks for women and especially Black women. We are ensuring that our Black women have exposure to the executives and that our executives across the entire enterprise are aware of the work and accomplishments of our talented BIPOC women, as we are committed to their advancement and success. We are also targeting our leadership development offerings on female Black employees. One example is our partnership with The Brand Leadership Institute, which is a 24-week leadership readiness program aimed at helping aspiring female leaders gain the clarity, commitment, confidence and credibility they need to gain the necessary visibility and exposure to grow and develop.
Ingredion states that you value diversity and inclusion, and it is a strategic priority for the company. What are you most proud of in Ingredion’s current practices to sustain a diverse workforce?
Adefioye: It is my sincere hope that we have moved past the time when we have to justify the value of a Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive environment. But just in case it needs reinforcing, research shows that diversity increases creativity and innovation, promotes higher quality decisions, and enhances economic growth. The year 2020 showed us that we still live and operate in a world of complex tensions that can have a significant impact on our employees and communities. But when we come to work — the place where we spend most of our time — we often don’t openly address these topics. In times of division, candid and courageous conversations are powerful tools to bring people together. This is where we have excelled, and I am proud of the way we have leaned into two of our foundational Values — Care First and Everyone Belongs — to demonstrate that Ingredion is a company where each and every one of us can feel seen, heard and appreciated for the similarities we have, but more importantly for the uniqueness that we bring. While we are pleased with the progress we have made, we are not satisfied. The journey continues.
