I&D Report 2021 - External version
Inclusion and Diversity is a fundamental part of Kantar. Learn about how we are future proofing ourselves and inspiring our people in our annual report.
Kantar
Inclusion & Diversity
2021 Annual Report
Inclusion and Diversity at Kantar
Inclusion and Diversity is a fundamental part of Kantar. It’s core to how we future proof ourselves as a business and inspire our people to bring their best selves to work every day. And it’s a huge driver to the impact we can have on our clients to help them deliver their own I&D agendas.
At Kantar we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where a unique range of backgrounds, styles and thinking can come together. Understanding people is at the heart of what we do, and it starts from within. Through creating a diverse culture of belonging, we can create an environment where everyone is empowered to succeed.
Our Inclusion and Diversity journey is a continuous one as the world around us continues to change. 2021 saw further impact of the COVID pandemic, and new political movements and social shifts. These will always test our business and influence the way we work – and we must be open to this to ensure we understand the individual challenges of our employees, our clients, and their customers.
In this report we look back at progress on a number of Inclusion and Diversity areas and look forward to our opportunity areas through 2022 and beyond.
Thank you to all our employees who continue to help shape our thinking and drive us forward to be the best at getting better.
Chris Jansen, Chief Executive, Kantar
How do we think about Inclusion and Diversity?
Our Inclusion and Diversity strategy is built on four pillars that inform our approach and activities:
- An Inclusive Workplace – we commit to building an inclusive culture where everyone can flourish.
- Diverse Talent – we strive to reflect the diversity of our clients and communities.
- Brand, Clients & Suppliers – we nurture partnerships that inspire clients and enhance supplier diversity.
- Community Engagement – we are advocates of inclusion and use our global influence to give back to local communities.
3+1 Approach:
We have a Global I&D Steering Committee, which consists of our most senior leaders, who align our global I&D strategy with our wider business objectives and purpose. However, Kantar is a global organisation operating in diverse markets, each with different I&D challenges, priorities and opportunities. That’s why we also have 38 I&D Steering Committees at the local market level. We know that a ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn't work, so we have created a ‘3+1 approach’, providing flexibility for our markets.
Our 3+1 approach means that we ask each of our markets to focus on 3 areas with defined metrics: gender equality, embracing difference and valuing inclusion. They can then select an additional dimension that is important to their local market context, such as disability or ethnicity.
Our I&D Strategy: Understand People, Inspire Growth
Inclusion creates a culture of belonging, where everyone is empowered to succeed. Diversity drives innovation and creativity, enabling us to better partner with our clients. Binging these together to create both an inclusive and diverse workforce and inclusive and diverse partnerships, ensures we are building a high performing and sustainable business.
Looking back at 2021
What does our Global Diversity data tell us?
What does our Global Diversity data tell us?
Gender Balance
At the end of 2021, 51% of Kantar’s global workforce identified as women. Although we have established strong gender parity at the Group level, we saw a 3% decline in female representation in 2021. We have also seen a 4% increase in employees who identify as non-binary or chose not to disclose their gender identity. As such, we are now exploring options for our employees to self-describe their gender identity on our systems.
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In 2021, we saw marginal gains in the representation of women at our most senior levels (Skales 90 & above) from 39% to 41% (skale is our internal, simple Global framework that defines each job and position within Kantar).
Promotions
In 2021, Kantar promoted more than 50% of women across all of our Skales. 53% of promotions at our leadership level roles (Skale 90 and above) were awarded to women.
Although promotions in 2020 were significantly affected by the impact of COVID-19, we have seen a positive increase of women promoted at all levels in 2021, consistently above the number of male promotions. This reflects our drive to support women at Kantar all levels of the organisation.
What does our Global Inclusion data tell us?
We are on a journey to make Kantar a truly inclusive and diverse place to work. Part of being able to assess our progress is having metrics that enable us to understand perceptions around how well we are doing already, and where people want us to focus in the future. This is why we use Kantar’s own Inclusion Index methodology to measure our progress around our employees’ sense of inclusion and belonging.
The Inclusion Index is comprised of three sub-indices created through factor analyses, based on an employee’s perception of the environment and their experience at the company.
- Sense of Belonging
- Absence of Discrimination
- Presence of Demeaning Behaviour
The Inclusion Index Score is the following formula
The Inclusion Index provides us with a score out of 100. In 2020, we surveyed 5 of our markets and received a global benchmark score of 55. In 2021, we surveyed 37 of our markets with an overall response rate of 38%, and our score had improved to 69. There is broad recognition from our employees that active steps are being taken to become more diverse and inclusive, with a clear impact on attrition and colleagues that leave our business if we don’t get this right.
Our 2021 Inclusion Index results have been used to inform our I&D strategy moving forwards; we have the ambition to improve our Inclusion Index results by 5 points by 2025 with an overall response rate of at least 50%.
A spotlight on North America:
Diversity data is essential to understand and support our diverse workforce. Following the success of our #BeCounted campaign in North America, which significantly increased disclosure rates of employees' ethnicities, one of our core priorities for 2022 is to expand this program into other Kantar markets, to increase the disclosure of ethnicity data and other aspects of diversity, such as disability and sexual orientation.
Prior to starting the #BeCounted campaign we had less than 30% of the staff who disclosed their ethnicity. After the campaign we moved the needle to 92%.
Ivonne Samaniego, Chief HR Officer, Insights Americas
Jump ahead to our ‘Looking forward’ section to read more about our #BeCounted campaign through 2022 and beyond.
A spotlight on Singapore:
We have pay parity by gender across all levels of the business this year in Singapore. And we have achieved 50/50 gender parity at the senior leadership levels across Singapore. A huge achievement. We have continued to track this regularly, and partnered closely with our HR teams in Talent Acquisition and Reward to ensure we are staying true to our goals.
Katie McClintock, Executive Managing Director, Insights, South East Asia
Looking back at 2021
People and Technology
Employee Resource Groups
In 2021 we re-ignited our Global Employee Resource Groups. These are voluntary, employee-led groups who support Kantar to build an inclusive and diverse workplace, and are integral to us achieving our overall inclusion and diversity strategy. The groups are led and participated in by colleagues from across Kantar who share a characteristic, and we have 6 Global groups at Kantar. Our Employee Resource Groups can also include allies, essentially any employees who want to learn more and pledge their support.
At the end of 2021, we launched an ERG Playbook for leads of the groups which provides them with a framework and guidance on how to best mobilise their group and objectives at Kantar.
Executive Sponsors have also volunteered for each of our 6 Global ERGs. Their involvement will be to give strategic guidance that aligns with the wider business strategy, represent and champion the ERG at the senior levels, advise on measurable success criteria and use of budget, and to provide counsel if the ERG encounters any challenges. The Kantar Executive Team has also agreed a significant investment to support the ambitions and capabilities of our ERGs through 2022 and beyond.
What are our global Employee Resource Groups?
Women at Kantar
Brings together women and allies to engage, learn and drive positive change to ensure the contribution and potential of our women are realised across our organisation.
Pride
Provides support, advocacy, and visibility to the LGBTQIA+ community across Kantar, empowering and inspiring every employee to celebrate their individuality, embrace their unique qualities and flourish at work.
No Limits
Promotes age inclusivity to help ensure that we continue to maximise the contribution of experienced employees and develop careers.
Accessibility at Kantar
Provides support and fosters inclusion for neurodivergent individuals and people with disabilities, both visible and invisible. Accessibility aims to empower everyone with the tools to be productive and successful.
Parents and carers
Brings together parents and caregivers at Kantar to provide support, awareness and resources for those raising children or taking care of family members. Helping Kantar to be a place where parents and carers can thrive in both their career and their family life.
Culture, Race & Ethnicity at work (CREW)
Creates a community of support, insight, and problem solving to Black, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, other minority groups, and all others interested in contributing to a safe place that celebrates one another.
Here’s what some of the leads of our Employee Resource Groups have to say about key achievements in 2021:
Accessibility – disability/neurodiversity event:
October in the US is National Disability Employment month so we had a 7 person panel including 2 outside guest speakers. We had a range of identified disabilities including NeuroDivergent- ADHD &/or Autism, Deaf, Paraplegic, and a parent to a child with Cerebral Palsy. We had hundreds of viewers during the live event and it brought several new people into the ERG. Comments and feedback shared have also helped to shape some of the 2022 Accessibility goals.
Valerie Struski, Accessibility lead
No Limits! – Kantar Age inclusive photo competition:
We raised visibility about the lack of photos of older people in our company image library (and in image libraries in general). 56 photos were submitted, often of family members and friends - and were made available (with the photographer's permission) as a photo resource for Kantar employees. It was especially great to read about the stories behind the photos and to see older people pictured doing everyday activities such as cooking, painting and socialising (as well as sky-diving and motorbike riding) and above all living life to the full!
Mark Whiting, No Limits lead
Mentoring - launch of ASPIRE programme
In 2021, we launched a global mentoring programme, ASPIRE, for women at Kantar using an AI platform called Guider. The programme pairs up high performing women at Skales 60 and 70 with alumni from the Kantar Empowering Growth leadership development programmes.
Since launching there have been 452 sign ups across all of Kantar’s divisions and markets (232 mentors, 220 mentees).
This programme lasts between 5-6 months and supports female mentees with building skills in areas such as decision making, difficult conversations, leadership and networking which will equip them through their career development.
Disruption Talks
Through 2021 we ran quarterly global I&D livestreams with high levels of engagement across Kantar. The Disruption Talks series are progressive discussions around specific topics which may be uncomfortable for some colleagues, such as disability, menopause and ageing. In these sessions we bring in external expertise to provide key insights and learnings.
Our last Disruption Talk of 2021 (Me, You and The Menopause too in partnership with Overthebloodymoon) introduced our new UK&I menopause policy and manager guidance, and attended by a global audience of over 300 Kantar colleagues.
Launch of our Wellbeing and Global Employee Assistance Programme
People are at the heart of everything we do. In 2020 and through 2021 we launched our #Wearehere Wellbeing programme across Kantar. By focussing on Wellbeing we can create an environment where all employees can be at their best. Our hope is that everyone at Kantar understands how they can maintain their own good health, and knows how to proactively and collectively support other colleagues.
At Kantar we know that life for our people can often be uncertain and challenges to our Wellbeing can affect any of us, our colleagues or family members, at any time. If one area of our Wellbeing falls down, its easy for other areas of our lives to also become impacted. That's why it's important our employees know how and when to get support when they need it most.
To tackle this, in 2021 we rolled out an inclusive and extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This EAP provides all Kantar colleagues with a wealth of valuable support and information across all areas of Wellbeing, including; stress management, exercise, sleep, healthy eating, how to maintain a good work-life balance, childcare and eldercare guidance, debt and legal advice, and many more.
Perhaps most helpful is that our EAP can also give all individuals across Kantar access to professionals who can support and guide them with the unique and diverse challenges that are personal to them, for example Psychologists to support with psychological issues or Financial Advisors to advise on money worries.
But positive Wellbeing is not just about knowing how to get effective treatment and advice for challenges - its knowing how to prevent them in the first place. Through continuous internal campaigns promoting tools, resources and education, we encourage our people to access support resources regularly to maintain all areas of their Wellbeing.
Launch of our Global Appreciate Recognition Platform
Appreciating others and recognising great work is a vital part of an inclusive employee experience and individual growth. In July 2021 Kantar launched a global, peer-to-peer recognition platform for all employees. The platform allows colleagues to inclusively appreciate anyone, at any time, and celebrate our diverse mix of people who create impact through displaying our Kantar behaviours. So, who’s using Appreciate?
- 62 out of 72 Kantar countries and 76% of colleagues are actively recognising other through Appreciate.
- Since launching in July 2021, colleagues have sent an impressive 145,216 recognitions.
Textio
Language matters and words used in a job ad can influence a candidate’s perception. Although not deliberate, it often happens unconsciously. Last year we piloted Textio an augmented writing tool which helps us remove biased language from written text, specifically our job descriptions, so they appeal to the most diverse candidates. So, what impact is it having?
- Our gender tone has stayed consistently neutral across our job descriptions so they should appeal equally to all genders.
- Age-related biases flagged have driven a 12% increase in job vacancies appealing to all ages.
To support our I&D strategy we have focused on identifying and removing bias throughout our hiring practices globally. In 2021 we invested in AI technology which reviews job descriptions in real time. The use of Textio means we now appeal to a wider candidate pool, and helps our TA teams build balanced candidate shortlists.
Emma Heerah, Global Head of Employer Brand
Here’s what some of our markets have to say about their key achievements in 2021
In 2021 the I&D team in Kantar Malaysia spearheaded an initiative to conceptualise a more inclusive office, which we called the 'Office of the Future’ project. Led by our own employees from across our different Malaysia divisional offices, colleagues put forward ideas and improvements to create a more accessible space for all. Our planned 'Office of the Future’ has a smart seating system, a nursing room for new parents, and dedicated areas to help us create balance while continuing to work with a 'Progress Together' mindset.
Paromeeta Mathur Banerjee, Head of Client Impact and Qualitative, Insights, Malaysia
The UK&I launched our Menopause Policy and Guidance for Managers in October 2021. As part of our communication plan, and to highlight the Menopause and how we are supporting colleagues, we held a Global Disruption Talk Session in conjunction with Over the Bloody Moon, who have been supporting us. We hope that by starting the conversation on this topic, we are helping to disrupt the norm and break down barriers, removing obstacles and dispelling taboos associated with this topic - the response has been amazing, both internally and externally. Through normalising these conversations, encouraging those who are willing to speak out and giving a platform to support and say 'it's ok', we lead through adversity and by example and others will follow.
Claudia Quinton, HR Director, United Kingdom & Ireland
This year, we prioritised bringing Pride@Kantar to life in Colombia and other countries in the LatAm region. We ran an incredibly successful Pride Week campaign in June, where we had participation and interaction from more than 200 employees on each of our four days of activity. But Pride isn't just for Pride Month. We organised other impactful LGBTQ+ events throughout the year, including a talk with Sergio Urrego's mother around mental health and LGBTQ+ discrimination, and hosted a virtual 'Uncomfortable Conversation' for Spirit Day. These sessions helped us to meaningfully engage with our colleagues, and this year we will look to turn that awareness into action.
Gloria Diaz, Management and Marketing Executive, Media, Colombia
Looking back at 2021
Inspiring our clients
Inclusion Index
The Inclusion Index is a Kantar product aimed at measuring progress on inclusive culture and provide actionable steps to create a sense of belonging. You can find more information around our internal Inclusion Index results here.
We are dedicated to extending the methodologies that we use ourselves to benefit our clients. In 2021, we had the privilege of working with the Advertising Association and World Federation of Advertisers in the UK to support their I&D strategies with Kantar’s Inclusion Index. This has led to further opportunities outside of the UK, with Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand and Advertising Council Australia.
We’re excited to develop the Inclusion Index for our clients, working with more clients to create new benchmarks. More broadly, our Inclusion Index is about using this data to drive action, and making the world of work a better, more inclusive environment for all.
Thanks to All In [powered by the Inclusion Index], we have an incredibly rich data set to mine. It provides strong and clear direction for the UK advertising industry as it strives to become a more diverse workforce that allows employees to bring their whole selves to work and thrive and develop in an inclusive environment. It also provides a benchmark for progress to be measured against.
Advertising Association, report found here: All In Hub - Advertising Association (adassoc.org.uk)
Questionnaires
Throughout 2021, the Inclusion & Diversity Workstream in Kantar Operations, Technology and Profiles ensured that the work we do internally around I&D is reflected in the work that we carry out for clients. so they are supported to understand their diverse customers and consumers. As part of this, Kantar is committed to making sure we reach beyond majority populations, and our research is inclusive of people who are from minority groups.
An important part of our questionnaire design means that the questions we ask our respondents are broad and inclusive, and include responses that reflect the way that they see themselves and their lives. We have therefore developed standard questions when asking about personal characteristics, such as gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability. For example, this includes going beyond the gender binary of ‘male’ and ‘female’ by providing respondents with the option to identify as non-binary, genderfluid or to self-identify.
The inclusive demographic guidance has been broadly shared internally at Kantar and has also been integrated into Qlib, our questionnaire authoring tool.
Survey panels
To be inclusive in our research, it is not just about the questions that we ask; it is also about how we ask them. Here are a few of the steps that we have taken to break down barriers and ensure our research truly reflects the clients we serve and the communities we work in.
- We have extended our mobile survey app, LifePoints, into markets that have a higher propensity for mobile vs. PC usage.
- We have opened our panellist recruitment to social networks and beyond traditional affiliate recruitment, to engage with more diverse populations who do not always have access to email.
- The Technology team is undertaking work to ensure our surveys are accessible for disabled people who may have specific barriers.
The business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion has never been stronger. They are not just moral imperatives, but integral to unlocking the innovation, resilience, and new ideas that will inspire our people, impact our clients, and accelerate our growth in meaningfully sustainable ways. As one of the world’s leading Market Research Agencies, we have a privilege and duty at Kantar to ensure our data truly reflects the diverse world we serve, which is why we are proactively leaning-in on helping the industry step up on being the best at getting better when it comes to shining an authentic spotlight on underrepresented groups and embracing differences.
Caroline Frankum, CEO, Profiles
Looking back at 2021
Thought leadership and research
Reykjavik Index 2021-2022
The Reykjavík Index for Leadership is the world’s first measure of society’s perceptions of women and men’s suitability to lead, and was launched in 2018 by Kantar Public and Women Political Leaders to answer this important question.
Now in its fourth year and covering 23 economic sectors, the Index provides critical evidence of that prejudice still prevails in society, and illuminates amongst those countries, socio-demographic groups, and sectors where these perceptions of inequality are pervasive. The Reykjavík Index for Leadership 2021/22 is the largest yet – reflecting the views of more than 35,000 people across the G7 and G20 nations, as well as Iceland.
Read the Reykjavík Index for Leadership report 2021-22.
The Power of I&D in Advertising
Our Kantar data shows that demonstrating inclusion and diversity in advertising is no longer optional, it’s an imperative. In ‘The 5 habits of highly effective advertisers’, we highlighted that inclusion and diversity is one of the ingredients, or creative devices, used by brands to make their ads both creative and effective.
In 2021, we predicted this would be elevated to a habit for more advertisers. That’s because being inclusive in advertising isn’t only socially and morally right, it’s also good for brand ROI. According to Global MONITOR, 65% of consumers say that it’s important that the companies they buy from actively promote diversity and inclusion in their own business or society as a whole.
Learn more about the the power of inclusion and diversity in advertising in our research here.
You can also visit the Kantar website for our latest studies on Inclusion and Diversity throughout 2022.
Looking back at 2021
Awards and community engagement
Our 2021 awards
Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers - Kantar ranked at #33
Powered by Inclusive Companies, The Inclusive Top 50 Employers is a national accreditation focusing on representation at management, senior, executive and board level, as well as inclusive cultures at work and within communities. The Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List is a national accreditation, acquired by organisations annually who wish to be seen as credible competitors in the field of diversity and inclusion. In 2021 Kantar was ranked as 33rd on the list, compared to 42nd in 2020.
National Diversity Awards - Kantar shortlisted for Diverse Company of the Year 2021
The National Diversity Awards are a set of I&D recognitions given to individuals, communities and organisations in the UK. Kantar was shortlisted amongst 7 other organisations. These awards celebrate the elevation of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Human Rights Campaign - Kantar Mexico included in the Equity MX Best Places To Work
The HRC Equity MX certificate was awarded to Kantar Mexico for a second year in a row. It is given to organisations who meet all requirements in creating safe work spaces for all, and bring a commitment to I&D throughout all parts of the business.
Carloline Frankum was recognised in the Top 10 Ally executives list from Outstanding and the top 100 women executives list from Heroes.
Caroline Frankum, the global CEO of our Profiles division was included in the top 10 Ally executives list which recognises those individuals who actively support the LGBT+ community within business. Caroline is accredited with creating a more inclusive world through the means of the Kantar Inclusion Index report which helps businesses deliver an inclusive workplace.
Caroline is also recognised in the top 100 women executives list and is celebrated for her wider achievements in bringing forth a culture of diversity. Most notably, Caroline increased senior female representation by over 40% in our Profiles division, and tripled ethnic minority representation across the board.
MRSpride Award for Inclusive Research
The Market Research Society is the world's leading research association and aims to bring research and data behind decisions both at government and in business. Kantar Public are recognised as having used innovative research to drive social change to help reduce destitution in the UK.
Through the work of Kantar Public, key insights have revealed the scale of destitution and this research has helped central and local government help make a impact therefore helping bring about more inclusivity in the future.
Community Engagement
Our four-year commitment with Special Olympics International started in March 2019. Our fundraising supports Special Olympics in a variety of ways:
- We support their global Youth Leadership work which brings together Youth Leaders to share strategies, tactics and case stories and take their learnings back to their local communities for implementation.
- We funded 53 global, regional, national and local Youth Summits.
- Kantar colleagues have volunteered and presented at four global and regional youth summits in the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE), Asia Pacific (Singapore), Africa (Nairobi, Kenya) and East Asia (Beijing, China).
- Kantar colleagues have also participated in their 360-degree mentoring programme to better understand more about the issues facing people with Intellectual Disability, by forming a personal mentor bond with Special Olympics athlete leaders.
Looking forward through 2022 and beyond
Internal opportunity areas
Being the 'Best at Getter Better'
A key focus for Kantar is to be the 'Best at Getting Better' and continually improving in all areas of our business. Although our data and our stories tell us that we are moving in the right direction, we recognise that we are on a journey to become a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and we still have a long way to go.
Moving forward in 2022 and beyond, our I&D principles will be to:
- Prioritise systemic change.
- Be increasingly data-driven.
- Provide greater transparency.
We will do this by focusing on six key internal opportunity areas:
- Policies: Ensuring our policies are inclusive and help us to attract, retain and develop underrepresented talent.
- Processes: Making our processes equitable and inclusive.
- Data: Being transparent with both inclusion and diversity data to inform our strategy, monitor progress and hold ourselves accountable.
- Learning & Development: Enabling all colleagues with the skills and knowledge to be inclusive, and ensuring we’re intentionally growing our diverse talent.
- Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Evolving our ERGs so they are vehicles to drive meaningful change into the organisation.
- Governance: Making sure we have a governance model that drives consistency, ensures everyone feels supported to lead on I&D, and accountability is sitting in the right place.
As we move towards building a longer-term I&D strategy, we understand that solving all of the opportunity areas listed above will not happen in one year. However, we will intentionally be making progress in these areas throughout 2022. Read on to learn more about a couple of these opportunity areas in more detail.
A spotlight on some of our internal opportunity areas
Making our policies more inclusive
In 2022, we will be launching our first Global Inclusion & Diversity Policy, which we will share both internally and externally. Our Global Inclusion & Diversity Policy outlines our commitments to I&D, the steps we are taking as a business to be diverse, equitable and inclusive, actions our employees can take to foster inclusion, and how our employees can raise any concerns.
We recognise that a Global I&D Policy alone is not enough to truly be there for our employees in the moments that matter. That’s why, this year, we will be conducting a key policy review with a diversity, equity and inclusion lens – understanding how our key policies can be improved, such as our family and caregiver policies, and where we may need to implement new policies to support all of our people.
Encouraging employees to disclose their diversity data
Diversity data helps us understand who works in our business, whether we are representative and at what levels through our organisation. This data can expose barriers that exist for different groups and at what stages in their career. Through this we can remove barriers, track progress of representation and make other inclusivity and diversity interventions in a meaningful way over time. Internal workforce data also helps keep us accountable by benchmarking us against other external organisations and census data.
In 2022, we will build on the success of our pilot North America #BeCounted campaign which was launched in 2021 to encourage employees to disclose their race and ethnicity data. Before the campaign North America had less than 30% of employees share their ethnicity data which increased to 92% after. We will expand this programme to Kantar countries with our biggest employee footprint, to learn more about our who our people are, ensuring they are ‘counted’ and that we are driving positive change in the most effective way.
We will review many of our internal practices and leverage the support of our internal Inclusion & Diversity champions to assess when we can ‘nudge’ employees to disclose their data, such as through our new hire onboarding process. We also recognise that we need to provide growing opportunities for our employees to self-identify.
Finally, we are committed to improving the transparency of our data, both internally and externally. We will begin to share more of our global data for gender and our ethnicity data in the UK and US. This approach will ensure we demonstrate progress against our commitments. This is just the start; our ambition is to use our data expertise to provide intersectional analysis around other dimensions of diversity, such as sexual orientation.
Looking forward through 2022 and beyond
External focus areas
Providing Inclusion & Diversity opportunities to our partners is a key part of our ethos. We are on a journey to ensure we have the right processes and authentic conversations to better understand the composition of our supply chain. This is a learning process, and we will continue to learn and evolve our approach over time.
Stephen Day, Chief Procurement Officer
Enhancing our Inclusion Index
While driving change within Kantar is critical, we also want to play a part in making the world more equitable. Our Inclusion Index is a key way to support our clients with actionable inclusion data and consultancy, so they can build truly inclusive, diverse and equitable organisations.
Diversifying our Supply Chain
We want to ensure Inclusion & Diversity exists across our entire value chain, including the suppliers we work with. In 2021 our Procurement team created a supplier diversity programme and for 2022 they will:
- Review our procurement processes to ensure high standards in relation to I&D. For example, for all 'Request For Proposals' that we receive, I&D now comprises 20% of our non-commercial scoring.
- Commit to a supplier diversity target for 2025.
- Recruit apprentices from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds by working with Multiverse.
The Inclusion Index is designed to make diversity and inclusion easier and more actionable for leaders. It empowers leaders to own their I&D journey with a clear view of where they currently are, what they are trying to achieve and how to get there. We’ve taken our Index further to not just be data powerful but to be driven by action. Our Index now has the flex to support clients in taking the rich data and turning it into actionable strategies that drive tangible change. We want to help clients unlock the power of I&D by going beyond diversity metrics but prioritising inclusion - that is an employee’s sense of belonging based on the actions an organisation makes.
Nadach Musungu, Inclusion Index Lead
Looking forward through 2022 and beyond
Keeping our employees engaged and informed
Global engagement
We will keep our people engaged and informed throughout 2022 via a number of global channels, in addition to local initiatives managed by our market-based Inclusion & Diversity Steering Committees.
