Barry Callebaut is a growth company and it intends to keep growing: in new geographies, new segments of the market, with new expertise, new products, new customers. It can only grow sustainably as a company if it grows as individuals and as teams, if it is able to attract talents wherever they are and create an environment where they feel they belong and can develop their full potential.

This is what is at the heart of its people strategy, and this is why Diversity & Inclusion matters to it:

To be able to attract and retain talents from all quarters of society and the world, united by values, and to nurture an inclusive environment where this diversity can flourish. Or, summarized in one sentence:  #one BC – Diverse People, Sustainable Growth.

On this basis, the company has developed a focused, ambitious, measurable and time-bound D&I Strategy.

By 2025, it aims to achieve: 

  • More progress in gender balance at senior level
    • 40 percent women at Director level
    • 30 percent women at Director level in Sales
  • More diversification in the origin of talent at senior level
    • 50 percent local talent at Director level in countries of origin and emerging markets

"With a business spanning from farm services to chefs pâtissiers and master chocolatiers, and from the large cities of the world to the small cocoa farms in rural areas, we thrive on the diversity of who we are, where we come from, what we’ve experienced and how we think. We are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment where everyone is given the opportunity to learn, grow and fulfill their potential," says Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of the Barry Callebaut Group

Each year the company will report on progress it has made against these targets in the Group’s Annual Report.

"We are a purpose-led company, driven by our love for cocoa and chocolate, our passion for growth and our commitment to sustainability. Like Forever Chocolate, Diversity & Inclusion is about growth: growth of our talents, growth of our attractiveness, growth of our company. We have to commit to time-bound targets focusing on a few business critical challenges. What you measure, you improve!" says Isabelle Esser, chief human resources officer of the Barry Callebaut Group.