Diversity is a source of energy and innovation. We have focused our efforts to bring in a wider range of talent and perspectives and strengthened our development programs for underrepresented talent. We have made great progress and are proud of the work we’ve accomplished and the recognition we’ve received. There is more work to be done, however, and we remain energized by the opportunities ahead of us and the impact we can have as we move forward.
We’ve taken steps to accelerate our DEI strategy with a particular focus on women and people of color. First, we’ve paused and listened to others, including employees, the market and the communities in which we live. We’ve also set the tone at the top of the organization with our board of directors and senior leadership. We recognize that while we’ve made progress, there is still more work to do.
From The Company
We believe our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts drive business results and help us make more moments of goodness. At Hershey, we look at DEI as a business priority – it’s part of what makes us a leader in the industry, a Great Place to Work and a company people want to do business with. Our CEO Michele Buck and her Executive Committee intensified their commitment and leadership of The Pathways Project, our diversity, equity and inclusion agenda, continuing year two of these efforts as enterprise priorities while simultaneously successfully managing the business and employee impact of a lingering global pandemic. In 2021 we delivered significant gains across four key areas:
- Our workforce diversity reached a six-year high with the highest levels of Black, Latino and Asian representation since 2018.
- POC representation increased +27% with gains in the following segments:
- Black +22%, Latino +46%, and Asian +8%.
- Our new Supplier Diversity strategy yielded an 18% increase in Tier 1 diverse suppliers with increases in the following segments: Black +6%, Latino +4%, Women +29%, People with Disabilities +392%, Veterans +149% and LGBTQ +450%.
- Philanthropic spend devoted to diverse groups increased 196% due to a $221 million charitable contribution to the Milton Hershey School.
Hershey’s stand for equity is also evidenced by:
- Four consecutive years of aggregate gender pay equity for U.S. salaried females.
- Two years of aggregate pay equity for Blacks, Latinos, and Asians in U.S. salaried roles.
- Maintained 21 HBCU and HSI colleges and universities within our partner schools.
- Added Financial Literacy for All to our roster of partners.
- Added the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, National Veteran Business Development Council and It’s Not Just Dinner to our list of diverse supplier partners.
- Continued funding the first-ever corporate scholarship endowment with Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which provides students from HBCUs pursuing food science degrees financial support to complete their education.
Hershey stands for equality, as evidenced by:
- Michele Buck, our CEO & Chairman of the Board, leads a Board that is 58% diverse, including five women or 42% gender diversity and an Executive Committee that is 50% diverse.
- Our workforce diversity reached a five-year high, increasing 27% since 2018.
- We maintain pay equity for aggregate U.S. females and people of color. We aim to achieve job category pay equity across our global workforce by 2025.
- Tier 1 Supplier Diversity spend increased +18%.
- The percent of total giving directed to organizations formally supporting women and people of color increased 21%.
