Snac World - Official State of the Industry 2024 - 30

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
SNAC
International's
Women in
Snacks network
aims to provide
professional
development for
women looking
to advance their
careers in the
snack industry.
SNAC International
female managers. It's more about not letting assumptions
around a particular identity negate an
individual's hard work, qualifications and talent and
block that person's career progress and company
contributions.
" Women shouldn't advance because they're
women, and they shouldn't be denied advancement
because they're women, " Kuester said. " They
should advance because they're the right person,
but they need to be seen. "
Having more diversity in the workforce, and especially
in leadership, has several benefits. Dina
Reagan, associate vice president, R&D, salty
snacks, Campbell's Snacks, Camden, NJ, and
co-chair of SNAC International's WinS committee,
pointed out that as snack companies try to reach a
rapidly diversifying consumer base, it's important to
have leadership and teams that represent that. This
way, a company can speak to their target consumers
in the most authentic way possible.
It all comes down to the main benefit diverse
teams bring: diversity of thought, experience and
perspectives. By having people from different backgrounds,
teams avoid becoming monolithic and
stacked with yes men. New questions get asked
and new ideas get pitched when not everyone on
the team looks the same or comes from the same
place.
" The diversity of ideas, perspectives and backgrounds
does create better, more productive teams,
especially at the leadership level, " said Julie Calef,
chief financial officer, Old Dutch Foods, Roseville,
Minn. " I think that can be a strong power. "
30
SNAC WORLD 2024
I don't need to be the
smartest person in the room
about every topic. But I know
where to get the answers;
I know who to talk to. "
Cindy Kuester, Snak King Corp.
It also yields better business results. Studies
regularly show that companies with diverse teams,
especially in leadership, perform better than those
with less diverse teams. And this is critical to the
future health of a company.
" If everyone thinks and feels the same way, then
you may drive some business results, but you won't
remain relevant, " Reagan said. " The more experiences
and backgrounds mean you'll just be more
equipped with a broad set of data to drive better
outcomes and decisions. "
Becoming more inclusive and removing some
of the barriers women face also can be a boon to
companies struggling to retain workers in a tight
labor market. Creating a culture where people feel
welcome to bring their whole, authentic selves to
the workplace invites employees to feel valued for
their unique perspective.
" Talent is really critical to the success of any
company, and we need to bring out the best in the
talent that we have, " Reagan said. " Part of that is
being open to people's experiences. I remember
Snac World - Official State of the Industry 2024

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