No. 43 | Monsanto | DiversityInc Top 50

WHY THEY’RE ON THE LIST

KEY RESULTS

ERG Sponsorship by Second-Level Senior Managers: Triple the Top 10 average and more than five times the Top 50 average

ERG Sponsorship by CEO and Direct Reports: 89.4% higher than the Top 10 and more than double the Top 50 average

Mentoring by Second-Level Senior Managers: 47.8% higher than the Top 10 and 80.5% higher than the Top 50

BEST PRACTICES

Diversity is integral to Monsanto’s business strategy because of its diverse customer database. “Making a balanced meal accessible to everyone, and doing it in a sustainable way, requires a wide range of ideas and resources,” the company explains. “That’s why our more than 20,000 employees come from a variety of backgrounds.”

One area Monsanto has seen success in is its mentoring program. About a quarter of all employees participate in formal mentoring, and more than half of these mentoring pairings are cross-cultural. The mentoring program sets measurable goals for assessing a pair’s success and also enforces formal follow-up procedures. CEO Hugh Grant, Grant’s direct reports and all second-level senior managers participate in the mentoring program.

Monsanto also has had success with its nine resource groups, which the company calls Business Resource Networks (BRNs), with 13 chapters in total. About a quarter of all employees participate in these groups, which are available to all Monsanto employees.

DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP

Hugh Grant

Chairman & CEO

“Monsanto needs a dedicated team that brings diverse thinking, diverse experiences and diverse approaches to help nourish our growing world. Embracing a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds is how we build the strong partnerships needed to pursue solutions to the big challenges we all share.”

Melissa Harper

Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition, Inclusion & Diversity & HR Compliance

“In an increasingly complex global environment, farmers look to us for innovative agricultural solutions. Creating those solutions requires people with diverse viewpoints and backgrounds to come together. Inclusion and diversity are vital in creating a great place to work for our employees and an essential business driver for our company.”

COMPANY FACTS

MON (NYSE)

U.S. HEADQUARTERS:St. Louis, Mo.

GLOBAL EMPLOYEES:21,183

Last Year’s DiversityIncTop 50 Ranking No.43

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