Diversity, Inclusion and Equity: Both a Responsibility and an Opportunity

February 18, 2021

Tim Glenn, Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer at Corteva

As a global ag company, we believe that we have a responsibility and opportunity to support our employees, customers and our communities. We are committed to enriching lives through promoting economic opportunity and social inclusion for all, which we feel builds a stronger company and communities where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. This stems from our commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity, which is not just programs or policies we’ve put in place, but rather is rooted in our culture and identity.

By cultivating a culture that embraces inclusion, we create an environment where all of our employees feel more empowered, supported and engaged to collaborate and innovate for our customers. We believe these efforts are critical for success – and they will continue to be at the forefront for Corteva’s new Chief Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Officer, Meghan Cassidy, whose new expanded role was announced this week to further our efforts.

If the last year has shown us anything, it’s that it is more important than ever for companies to speak up about their principles and to promote values that reflect the people who work for them. As my colleague, Rajan Gajaria, recently pointed out, companies must create lasting, shared value. It is critical that we take bold steps to promote diversity and embrace differences to generate shared benefits for teams, customers and society. It is clear we have more work ahead of us, and at Corteva we believe it is our responsibility to do our part for our stakeholders.

Corteva’s collective voice as an organization is powerful, but it means so much more at the individual level, because it is employees themselves who make our efforts come alive through their experiences and contributions.

We work to attract a diverse group of employees because, simply, it makes us better. We will recruit people who share our organization’s values to continue innovating and producing great products for our customers, which will ultimately help solve the challenge of feeding a growing population in a sustainable manner.

Because of our focus on our customers, we often have strong relationships with them and recognize some of the causes we’ve supported may also engender impassioned discussion about the events that have shaped 2020 – and we expect that they will continue to be a part of a global conversation. As a company, we’re not shying away from these talks – so long as they remain respectful. We want to ensure our customers know we have a perspective on inclusion because our consumers are diverse and because we believe that diverse ideas are what will help us continue to bring powerful innovations that our customers need to address some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges.

As a leader in the industry, it’s important that Corteva takes the lead to bring diversity and inclusion efforts to life on behalf of employees and our customers. I’m proud of our role as a company, and as a leader, I am honored to be able to act as an ally – which means acting, being aware, and showing empathy for those who are different from us. It’s a role where I believe each of us can have a powerful impact.

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