Julie Ayres-Smith, European Regional Delivery Partner, Kellog
For Kellogg, as for everyone, 2020 was like no other year. Almost overnight we switched entirely into a virtual working environment and were faced with the immediate challenge of how to continue to seamlessly support the business remotely. And as we realised quickly that we weren’t going back to the office soon, we understood the importance of connecting and staying close to our people.
Our people’s safety is always the top priority for Kellogg and making sure our people were staying safe has been paramount. We have a Total Health approach, which comprehensively focuses on all aspects of employee wellbeing – physical, emotional, social and emotional. Through this approach we provided employees with physical health tips and financial support so our people could create a good working environment at home. We also provided education and support for employee Emotional health and wellbeing, recognising that we always need to meet our people where they are, and that everyone might be in a different situation.
And the team stepped up and delivered exceptional results, delivering quarter by quarter while strengthening the partnership and collaboration with the business partners. Key here is our “Make It Happen” culture in which we encourage people to collaborate and identify ways to achieve the goal.
At Kellogg, we’re privileged to be invited into people’s homes, through food that consumers know and love. This year we have truly focused on the core values and DNA of our company, supporting our vision of a world where people are not just fed but fulfilled, and recognising that we can create better days through our trusted food brands. We were proud to continue our important corporate social responsibility work to support our local communities in an especially challenging year as 2020.
I am immensely proud of how the team has dealt with the many challenges of 2020, and I feel that we came out of the year so much stronger.
As we move into 2021, the strengths that we displayed in 2020 – commitment, resilience and passion – will help set us up for an even more successful year. This year we will develop even further our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion agenda and embolden our culture to nourish and give voice to everyone. It’s our individual flavours that are part of Kellogg’s recipe for success and we believe that ED&I will play a major role in the future of work.
We’ll also look to build on the flexibility and adaptability that were key throughout 2020 and will be supporting and empowering our people to make intentional choices about how they work.
In Europe, Kellogg sees itself as a dynamic, agenda-setting company and we aspire to be the best in market, to be a company that leads the way amongst our peers. We know that we can achieve this because the actions that we take every day move us forward.
The ABSL community offers unique ways to connect with other leaders from the industry, being a great place to share and to learn. My intention is to stay involved within this community and to contribute to further unlocking the potential of ABSL. So I am looking forward to continued and productive involvement throughout 2021.