WISE Speaker Panel Featured at Velocity Conference
On September 19, WISE sponsored a panel discussion “Unlocking Real Results Through Diversity” at the 2018 Velocity-The My Private Brand Conference in Charlotte. Moderator Kieran Forsey, S4RB, led featured speakers Deanna Dorrance, Ace Hardware; Clay Dockery, MZB; Laura McCready, OFD Foods; and John Clague, Former Waitrose and ASDA through an exchange of experiences as to how diversity and inclusion have impacted the private label industry. As the need for diversity has become a higher-profile topic at retail, given its direct impact on interactions with customers and associates, WISE organized a panel of speakers with varied backgrounds to share their experiences.
WISE Board member Kara Miencier shares her thoughts and a few highlights from the panel discussion.
For me, the panel really showcased a diverse group of individual thoughts, experiences, and words of wisdom for fostering a more inclusive and successful workplace environment. While their experiences all stemmed from various backgrounds, when the panel was asked about the importance and need for diversity within the workplace, they all answered with an absolute “obviously.”
As a millennial, it’s hard to believe that there was ever such a thing as a “training women in sales roles” class that men would partake in; however, there was. Clay Dockery, MZB, shared his story of having to take such a class early on his career. The shock of hearing this during the panel reminded me that a huge gender gap took place not that long ago. Deanna Dorrence, Ace Hardware, shared a story about how their company has evolved and her story really stood out to me in a positive way. When she first began at Ace, each meeting would take place with “Hello, my name is “X” and I’ve been here for 25 years”. Now, when they introduce themselves, the dialogue is more “Hello, my name is “X” and these are my experiences.” The focus has shifted from age to purpose. And, for me, Laura McCready’s success story was really quite inspiring. Earlier in Laura’s career, she was a wife who moved with her husband’s career. She had to kick start a new career when they moved. She is now the “breadwinner” for her family, while her husband is at home with their daughter. Being from a Japanese family, this sort of family arrangement is not necessarily the norm.
The best news from this panel? The industry is changing in a positive direction. While of course there is still plenty of work that needs to be done, the tides are shifting. It was very apparent through the panel that the need for diversity (race, gender, age, etc.) is not only wanted and needed, it is here. The panelists expressed what is occurring within their organizations is hiring based on talent, but keeping the workplace environment inclusive and open for diversification. Definitely a valuable and enlightening discussion on the topic of diversity.