BASF honored with German Diversity Award

18-11-2011: BASF has been honored with the German Diversity Award as “Germany’s Most Diverse Employer” in the category large-scale enterprise. The prize is awarded by Henkel, the business consultancy McKinsey and the German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche. It honors employers, individuals and innovative projects that are especially committed to establishing a working culture of diversity.

After accepting the award, Saori Dubourg, President BASF East Asia Regional Headquarters said: “Diversity and Inclusion is a strategic tool for BASF to focus our competencies towards future market demands. The award is therefore a big appreciation of our present efforts in this field and at the same time an incentive to become even better at it.” Saori Dubourg was instrumental in setting up the global Diversity + Inclusion project back in 2008 and 2009.

“Diversity is by now firmly anchored in BASF’s daily business,” confirmed Dr. André Becker and Peter van den Hoek, both currently responsible for the global Diversity + Inclusion (D+I) activities at BASF. “Nevertheless, we will continue to develop instruments and measures to advance the diversity in our company.”

For example, “Inclusion of Diversity” is a vital competency at BASF and one of the assessment criteria that is used during employees’ annual appraisal dialogues with their superior.

Furthermore, more than 150 BASF employees worldwide are already involved as D+I ambassadors in addition to their regular jobs: They organize D+I activities, collect best practices, and actively support establishing a culture of diversity in their own working environment.