DuluxGroup is a manufacturing giant with a suite of products used in homes around the world every single day. Now, it’s sharing its efforts to become a more diverse employer – one that better reflects the world it operates in.
Key points:
- Leading from the top: DuluxGroup took a top-down approach, instilling the behaviours it wished to see across the organisation at a leadership level first.
- Expert assistance: It’s important to bring in external experts who can back up the vision of leaders.
- Diversity brings benefits: From more creative problem solving, to generating a feeling of welcome and safety, diverse teams help employees feel comfortable and enable them to contribute and thrive.
DuluxGroup, a global leader in manufacturing and a household name here in Australia, has always operated within a male-dominated space. But over the past ten years, the manufacturing giant has implemented new practices to enhance gender equality, modernising the company and ensuring it remains a leader well into the 21st century.
The organisation took a top-down approach, according to Brooke Westphalen, Talent and Diversity Manager at DuluxGroup.
“Because it’s historically been a male-dominated industry, our diversity, equity, and inclusion journey started in that leadership space, around how do we make sure that we’ve got gender balance across our leadership teams,” she said.
“When you have gender balance at a higher level, that then flows through the different levels of the organisation.”
Since starting its DEI journey, DuluxGroup has more than doubled the number of women in its top leadership team.
It also uses its graduate program to develop the younger generation into leaders – ensuring that diversity is brought into the company right from the start, and that women are empowered to grow into leadership with Dulux.
Promoting women in STEM
After enhancing the gender balance at the leadership level, the results echoed throughout the organisation in its other departments.
Dr Priya Subramanian, Research and Innovation Manager, joined the manaufacturing sector 17 years ago and said working in the historically male-dominated environment was challenging to begin with.
She’s proud of how far DuluxGroup has come, and of the way it has supported the next generation of women to enter the STEM field.
“When you come into Dulux, I can proudly say that if you look at the research and development workforce, you’ve got an equal amount of male and female scientists in the team,” she said.
It’s a similar story on the factory floor.
“Formerly we used to have no females out on our factory floor, and if we look at our entire manufacturing base, we’re around the 40 per cent mark now which is fantastic,” explained Anthony Privitelli, General Manager of Powders, Industrial and Automotive at DuluxGroup.
Subramanian added that Dulux is also home to many different cultures, adding to the inclusivity and diversity of the workforce. She said when staff come together under the one roof and share their experiences and culture, it brings out the best in them.
Conversations and consultants
Privitelli said the transformation began with a simple conversation about how DuluxGroup could be at the forefront of change.
He believes the company is reaping the benefits of its enhanced diversity.
“We’re definitely more innovative. I think our problem-solving skills are far richer,” he said.
Part of the journey involved leaders learning about their own leadership styles and how unconscious bias can influence decision-making – something Privitelli said had been “really powerful”.
Westphalen added that bringing in external experts can add “another lens and another voice” to back up the ideas and desires of the leadership team.
And she said it’s important to recognise that the journey is an ongoing one, with milestones an opportunity to shift focus to how to maintain success.
“We fully believe that our teams that are more diverse outperform our other teams. That’s because they’re more innovative, they’re more creative, and so it’s really important that we create an environment where people do feel safe and that they’re able to come to work and be the best version of themselves,” Westphalen said.
In May 2024, DuluxGroup was announced as a finalist in Chemistry Australia’s inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award, sponsored by Jobsbank.
