This year, IFF’s Pride Campaign focused on the theme #UnconverPride. Throughout Pride Month we have been amplifying the voices and lived experiences of our LGBTQ+ community by featuring their stories.  Stories shared through their own voices or the voices of allies. Stories of joy, celebration, struggle, and discovery. Human stories. 

Through these voices, our goal was to promote a more profound understanding and appreciation of the richness within the community. To promote connection. To inspire others to find their voice, whether to share their story or to act as an ally to make the workplace and the world a more inclusive one for our LGBTQ+ colleagues.  Have you been listening? Have you found a connection with one of the stories? Have you learned something new? Gained appreciation for a different life experience? 

At IFF, we know that the uniqueness of all our employees inspires potential and possibilities.  It is our commitment to make IFF a place where our employees’ uniqueness is not just welcomed, but everyone can thrive as who they are. Where we learn, we grow, we find community as we work together to achieve IFF’s mission. 

While Pride month may be ending, the echo of these stories remains.  It’s up to each and every one of us to take these lessons in courage, resilience and living true to who we are in our heads and hearts and let them inspire action and an inclusive mindset in all we do. We invite you to join our quest to create a world where no one feels they must remain hidden. 

If you are inspired by our employees’ stories and want to add your unique voice to ours, we encourage you to explore our opportunities at www.iff.com/careers  

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IFF’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Strategy

Achieving gender balance at IFF is one of the ways we are able to be the partner of choice for our customers the employer of choice for our workforce and do more good in the world.

It is one of our 2030 ESG Goals.

To achieve this IFF’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion strategy focuses on three pillars one of which is ensuring an inclusive talent pipeline.  This includes embedding tools and processes into our talent systems to make them fair impartial and bias free all the way from hiring development to promotion and including compensation.

Delivering Pay Equity

On this International Pay Equity Day we want to share our methodology to deliver pay equity regardless of gender.

IFF has maintained a strategic partnership with EDGE the leading global standard for Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) centered on a workplace gender and intersectional equity approach.  As part of our EDGE Certification IFF conducts gender pay equity analysis for all roles in the 27 countries with 200 or more employees that are part of our Global Certification.  Those 27 countries represent 90 percent of IFF’s workforce. We’re proud to say that we did not find any statistically significant pay gaps in favor of men. These results are audited and verified by a third party.

We analyze against EDGE’s variables: gender tenure age individual contributors vs. people managers level of responsibility (executive upper management middle management junior management and operational levels). We add an additional customized variable based on our individual job levels.

EDGE Analysis methodology uses a linear regression that can quantitatively demonstrate whether an organization has a pay gap which cannot be explained by any other factors other than gender.  Any pay gap that is found is shared with IFF’s Compensation team to understand and where necessary addressed.  Local HR may also be informed so that moving forward such gaps are mitigated.

We’re proud to partner with EDGE the UN Global Compact to address gender inequity and to do our part to build a more sustainable equitable world where women thrive economically.

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Contributions to Probiotic Advocacy

Leveraging more than two decades of excellence in microbiology Amy has earned distinction as the regulatory strategy lead for dietary supplements IFF Health. She plays a key role in the global advocacy of probiotics as a category of dietary ingredient visiting with regulatory  agencies in numerous countries around the world to build probiotic-focused regulations. She is also a valued member of the International Food Additives Council (IFAC) the Natural Products Association (NPA) and the International Probiotics Association (IPA) where she currently serves as President.

Recognition and Acclaim

Amy’s contributions have been widely recognized with awards and honors underscoring her impact and influence in the field of probiotics. Her induction into Marquis Who’s Who Biographical Registry is just one among many accolades she has received throughout her illustrious career. Among her professional accomplishments Amy has received a Homer Venture Award for Outstanding Service in the early years of her public health career as well as a McCluskey Award for Outstanding Research from Louisiana State University and a Brown Foundation Research Excellence Award.

Inspiring Future Generations

Joining the ranks of accomplished individuals in this prestigious Marquis Who’s Who Biographical Registry registry Amy hopes to serve as an inspiration to aspiring professionals in the field of microbiology. “Within the coming years I hope to continue to create avenues for regulators to understand the power of the microbiome on a deeper level so that more efficacious probiotic products will be available to consumers globally” said Amy.

As we celebrate her exceptional contributions to probiotics scientific and regulatory affairs we hope her passion and dedication will inspire generations to come encouraging them to reach new heights of excellence and make a lasting impact in this field.

Discover more about our experienced and accomplished innovators here learn how they contribute to science and technology at IFF.

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The Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) tracks the performance of public companies committed to disclosing their efforts to support gender equality through policy development representation and transparency. It serves as a touchstone for companies seeking to track their progress in gender inclusion and how the implementation of diversity policies shape company performance. While 600 companies participated in the Gender Reporting Framework and disclosed their gender-related data IFF is one of 484 companies across 45 countries and 11 sectors to be named to the 2023 index.

Every year Equileap ranks approximately 4000 companies around the world on gender equality based on 19 criteria including gender balance at all levels within the company the gender pay gap sexual harassment and parental leave. We’re proud to be among the top 100 globally paving the way to equality. We’re committed to having the most diverse workplace in our industry.

Disclosure is just one step on the journey to parity.

Gender representation is not the only way we hold ourselves accountable in gender parity; understanding the gender pay gap is also vital to ensuring we are a fully inclusive employer. One of the ways we addressed the issue in 2022 was to introduce our global parental leave policy setting a global minimum of 16 weeks of fully paid leave for both men and women recognizing women’s contribution to unpaid caregiving work and encouraging the sharing of responsibilities. This policy puts IFF in the top 10% of Fortune 500 companies for leave policies.

We continue to align with the U.N. Women’s Empowerment Principles a set of seven tenets to advance and empower women and provide equal treatment in the workplace marketplace and community. In doing so we affirmed our commitment to gender parity by being the first company to receive global Move-level certification twice from EDGE the leading global assessment and business certification for gender and intersectional equity in December 2022 following individual assessments in 27 countries.

While we know that reaching full inclusion is an ongoing journey we have goals to track our progress hold ourselves accountable and guide and assess the advancement of our Diversity Equity & Inclusion program. You can explore our impact in our most recent Environmental Social and Governance Report.

To achieve these 2030 goals we must turn our words into collective action. We are by no means perfect but through dedicated advancements we are working hard to create safe spaces that empower employees to share their unique experiences and work toward affecting positive change.

One example of this work is through our Colleague Community “Women at IFF” which provides an inclusive space for women to advance their skills and leadership potential through connection mentorship collaboration and discussion. Join us on LinkedIn and Instagram to see how we #EmbracyEquity #InsideIFF
You can become a changemaker too. Explore your career path and apply today:
iff.com/careers/areas

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At IFF we have been working to develop a global parental leave policy that makes it easier for new parents to give their new family members the attention they need and deserve while allowing more equitable participation by the parents.  On June 30th 2022 we delivered on this important initiative and implemented an expanded Global Parental Leave Policy providing 16 weeks of fully paid leave following the birth surrogacy or adoption of a child. The new policy which raises the minimum parental leave for many of our sites also:

• Grants 16 weeks of 100% paid leave for a new IFF parent regardless of gender identity and/or expression
• Applies to birth parents adoptive parents same-sex parents and parents who use a surrogate
• Sets a new global minimum standard of parental leave benefits going beyond what is legally required in most countries where IFF operates
• Starts immediately once the employee is benefit-eligible based on local law

We are taking this step based on employee feedback market best practices and our desire to be a leader in gender equity in the workplace.

“Through this expanded policy our goal is to ensure that new parents do not have to choose between supporting their families and nurturing their careers” says CEO Frank Clyburn. “We view parental leave benefits not as a cost but as an investment in our people one that will help ensure that we continue to gain from the diverse knowledge talents and abilities of our colleagues.”

Enhanced Personal Benefits

We are proud to bring this extended policy to our colleagues. We know this is the right thing to do for our business however this policy will also benefit our colleagues their families and IFF in the long term. Some recent external studies have found that equitable parental leave can help to:

• Strengthen the Partnership Between Parents – 90% of men report that their relationship with their partners improved because they took the time to be home with their newborn child; and 80% of women report that their partners took an equal responsibility for household work that has traditionally fallen to her long after their leave period ended
• Establish the Parental Role from The Start – Parenting together in the first days weeks or months of a child’s life is instrumental in shaping family dynamics
• Support Equity in Career Progression – supplying equal leave for both men and women helps level the playing field for working mothers
• Boost Family Finances – parental leave for both men and women can reduce the gender wage gap within households by maintaining mothers’ wages by not taking unpaid leave to care for their new child
• Promote Equality Beyond Just Gender – Our LGBTIQ+ colleagues will be able to bond with their new child without being negatively financially impacted
• Energize Employees – Men and non-birth parents have reported that the time they spent with their child had a boost in happiness and fulfillment that was also extended to the workplace. Additionally women and birth parents reported that having the shared responsibility at home gave them confidence they needed to return to work knowing their child had loving care.

“This policy conveys to all employees—not just those who benefit most from it—that IFF cares about its people and their families” says Jen Johnson EVP General Counsel and Executive Sponsor of IFF Colleague Community Women@IFF. “This action is another proof point of IFF’s Do More Good commitment: ‘Every day we bring the talent influence and responsibility to constantly challenge the status quo.’ It truly sets us apart from many other companies.”

Join Us

We are company that does not just say we believe in nurturing a diverse equitable and inclusive culture; we are a company that continues to take action to advance our progress on DE&I and where all colleagues are encouraged to be their full authentic selves in the workplace.

Join us! Explore a career at IFF and learn more about our commitment to DE&I.

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As I’ve spent the last 90 days meeting with IFF colleagues and key customers around the world asking questions listening and evaluating our business it has become even more clear to me that IFF has a very strong foundation with incredible opportunities ahead.

Our business has both a robust diversified portfolio and the driven team we need to continue delivering sustainable profitable growth. We’re poised to benefit from sustained long-term tailwinds as we have demonstrated leadership in the most in-demand consumer categories. Together we will focus every day on the operational rigor and executional excellence required to deliver even greater value for our customers and shareholders.

Fortune has also identified us as one of just six companies on this list with a Black CEO. I’m honored to lead the team at IFF where we understand that a diverse workforce is an asset. But I am reminded that across the global business community there’s much work to be done so that diverse talent may lead and succeed.

I am proud of the work underway to ensure that IFF’s next chapter is it brightest yet. Our solid results reflect IFF’s critical role in the consumer goods value chain. And our spot amongst fellow Fortune 500 companies reflects who we are today: an industry leader in food beverage scent health and biosciences where science and creativity meet to create essential solutions for a better world.

Frank Clyburn CEO IFF

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Frank shared that he was drawn to IFF for a number of reasons but three stand out: our talented global community our tremendous potential for growth and our continued opportunity to innovate and craft the future of our industry.

“This is an iconic company and industry leader with tremendous opportunity to deliver outstanding customer experience and long-term sustainable profitable growth” Frank said. “Working with IFF’s world-class talent unrivaled offerings and impressive innovation platform I am excited to bring my approach to executional excellence to capitalize on IFF’s bright future.”

As we move further into 2022 and beyond we’re reaffirming our purpose of applying science and creativity for a better world by focusing on keen opportunities for growth especially the trends that consumers are most passionate about such as health wellness personal care and ESG goals.

We are excited to get to know Frank more over these next few months and can’t wait to introduce him to our customers and partners around the world.

Join us in welcoming Frank to IFF!

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