Ronald McCray
General Counsel
As the parent corporation to some of the world's most trusted and recognized personal products-Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Huggies, and Depends, to name just a few-Kimberly-Clark Corporation has been a household name for 132 years. The company believes that its workforce must reflect the diversity of its customer base, and has defined diversity as not only relating to the obvious issues of gender, age, and race, but to the different beliefs, value systems, and life choices that make up the world.
Kimberly-Clark's legal division has taken great strides to enhance its diversity profile and initiatives, and continues its strong commitment to a diverse legal department. Led by Senior Vice President, Law and Government Affairs, Ronald Mc Cray, the legal department's senior management team has a total of twelve lawyers, including two minorities and two women. Additionally, so that all managers make diversity a priority, their compensation is tied to measured success in that area.
It was about 10 years ago that Kimberly-Clark decided to have its workforce reflect the customer market, and began to make diversity a priority. This initiative was based on the belief that diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences provide a wider, brighter array of perspectives and learnings. Clearly, that effort has paid off in the business success and professional recognition that Kimberly-Clark has received in the area of diversity initiatives.
With approximately 64,000 employees worldwide, Kimberly-Clark's dedication to attracting, retaining, and developing the best people around the world is impressive. Its diversity initiatives are embedded in every job description and are reflected in programs and networks, which include cultural and gender-based affinity groups such as the African-American Employee Network, Asian Employee Network, Gay and Lesbian Employee Network, Latin-American Network for Diversity, and the Women's Interactive Network-to name a few. These networks promote a personal and professional sense of belonging, which in turn leads to greater productivity.
(L to R): Linda Willett, Bristol Myers-Squibb; Ronald Mc Cray, Kimberly-Clark Corporation; and Veta Richardson, MCCA
To ensure that employees get the most out of their experience at Kimberly-Clark, the company sponsors a diversity steering committee of senior executives, diversity leadership training programs, a talent management program, and an employee mentoring program offering functional and cultural opportunities. In addition to providing guidance, direction, and coaching, the latter program seeks feedback and critique of the mentors.
Through its corporate supplier diversity program, Kimberly-Clark adds qualified women and minority suppliers to its purchasing network. More than compliance, the program is a valuable source of supplier knowledge that can help the company expand its customer reach.
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known brands are an indispensable part of everyday life for people in more than 150 countries, and the company highly values the contributions made by a diverse, talented, and highly motivated workforce. For this reason, Kimberly-Clark is dedicated to attracting, retaining, and developing the best people around the world to ensure its continued success.
From the November/December 2004 issue of Diversity & The Bar®