PepsiCo is firmly committed to leveraging the diversity of perspectives that its talented associates bring to the company and to fostering a work environment that includes and encourages differing views of the world. A key initiative in that effort is PepsiCo’s Women of Color Multicultural Alliance, which serves as a strategic support and resource group focused on attracting, retaining, and developing women of color in the middle and senior management ranks at PepsiCo. The Alliance has four priorities: enlisting support and awareness; building a sense of community; educating and developing; and increasing representation and improving retention. Major activities over the years have included Power Pairs®, a program that builds authentic relationships and advancement opportunities for women of color through facilitated dialogues with immediate and skip-level managers; a national leadership development conference; and regional networking events.
The Alliance‘s impact has been far-reaching. It has created a culture of authenticity and honesty that permeates relationships among women of color and peers and managers, calls attention to the unique experiences and needs of working women of color, and showcases workplace dynamics and solutions related to the intersection of gender and race. PepsiCo supports the Alliance by creating accountability at all levels, with specific ties to the bonus pay of senior executives who are involved in Alliance efforts.
The tangible success of PepsiCo’s Women of Color Multicultural Alliance is clear: At the senior manager/director/VP level, women of color have increased from 4.0 percent to 6.8 percent from 2002 to 2006; and turnover for women of color who have participated in Power Pairs® is at one-half the rate of those who have not participated.