CHICAGO -- When Michelle Gloeckler of Walmart Stores is asked about her involvement in the Network of Executive Women (NEW), she typically begins by reflecting on how the retail group, champions of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, has affected her own life.
"I love to share with folks my personal story of how it has inspired me," she told CSP Daily News. "It's allowed me to do things that have made me better in my work and in my career. Not only is it personally inspiring to me, but it's also helped me build business skills."
With the next few months chocked full of celebrations of NEW's 10th anniversary, Gloeckler, the board chair of NEW--Consumer Products & Retail, as well as senior vice president of home for Walmart Stores, will have lots of opportunities to share that personal story.
"It's provided me opportunities to do great things, whether it's how a board meeting works, managing the financials of a not-for-profit, or speaking in front of very large groups," said Gloeckler, who has been a NEW member for six years. "It can meet the needs that the women in the industry have for networking, education, and the ability to share not only what's going on in their business and career, but what's going on it their life. It's very supportive, and it's also a very strong resources group."
That was very much the point when NEW started a decade ago, according to its first employee, president and CEO Joan Toth.
"The biggest achievement that I can point to is that we've gotten diversity on the agenda at retail and consumer goods companies, and we have made our constituents aware of a diverse workforce," Toth told CSP Daily News. "Diversity is no longer talked about a 'nice to do' but as a business imperative. The workforce has to mirror the consumer that we're trying to reach."
"Convenience stores are constantly trying to attract more women [shoppers], and it's been the holy grail of c-stores from many years," she added. "And hopefully by hiring more women, we'll have a little bit better understanding of what the marketplace wants. So it's potentially low-hanging fruit for convenience store operators to help grow sales."
While NEW's 17 regional chapters will be celebrating the 10th anniversary throughout this fall and winter, the full group will gather in Orlando, Fla., on Monday, September 19, to induct 10 industry leaders into its new CPG Retail Diversity Hall of Fame as part of its NEW Leadership Summit.
The honorees will receive the NEW William J. Grize CPG Retail Diversity Hall of Fame Award at a red-carpet awards night at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel. Grize, who died in January 2010 at the age of 63, began his career at Stop & Shop in 1967 as a part-time clerk and rose to become the CEO of Ahold USA. He was a leader in industry diversity throughout his long career.
Ten honorees will be recognized for their outstanding achievement in driving diversity and inclusion in the consumer products and retail industry:
- Linda Dillman of Hewlett-Packard, honored for her work at Wal-Mart.
- Jeri Dunn of Bacardi, honored for her work at Tyson Foods.
- Tom Greco of PepsiCo.
- Don Knauss of The Clorox Co., also recognized for his work at Coca-Cola.
- Jeff Noddle, retired CEO of SUPERVALU.
- Kay Palmer of J.B. Hunt.
- Judy Spires of Kings Super Markets, formerly with Acme Markets.
- James White of Jamba Juice Co., honored for his work at Safeway.
- The Network will also induct two companies: Delhaize America and Procter & Gamble.
"These honorees were early advocates of gender diversity and inclusion in CPG/retail and have shown true leadership in providing women and underrepresented groups real opportunity for career advancement," Toth said. "Their actions provided early evidence of the business case for the power of workplace diversity."
The NEW Leadership Summit 2011 will celebrate the Network's 10th anniversary and focus on "advancing women and building business--the next 10 years."
More than 800 leaders and emerging leaders are expected to register for the Summit, which kicks off Monday, September 19, with special meetings and bonus pre-event NEW Leadership Academy workshops.
General sessions on Tuesday, September 20, will include keynotes by "age wave" expert Maddy Dychtwald and mountaineer Alison Levine. One of the industry's most powerful women--Walmart International CFO Cathy Smith--will discuss what it means to be a female leader in the industry today.
The Summit will also feature a dozen concurrent sessions on such topics as:
- "Managing Brand You," with Jerry Wilson, senior vice president and chief customer and commercial officer for The Coca-Cola Co.
- Tips for balancing work/life with Christy Consler, vice president, sustainability and corporate social responsibility for Safeway Inc.
- How to leverage social networking by Steve Knox, former CEO of Procter & Gamble's Tremor word-of-mouth ad agency.
An optional half-day Corporate Athlete workshop will be offered Wednesday morning, September 21.
"We need to make a difference in our industry," said Gloeckler. "While we've come so far and we have a lot of milestones and we've had a lot of growth, I think there are still more leaders--men and women--that we can help, support and influence."
Added Toth, "Any executive who thinks that diversity and inclusion is still about compliance isn't getting the message that this is a good business opportunity and not just a compliance issue."
More information is available at newonline.org/summit.
The Network of Executive Women is the consumer products and retail industry's largest diversity organization, with more than 4,000 members representing 400 industry companies. The network has 70 national sponsors and 17 regional groups in the United States and Canada. It hosts dozens of local events and three national conferences each year.
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