How UPS and Autodesk Made Diversity a Business Imperative

More than a marketing initiative, diversity, equity and inclusion is a matter of good business to companies such as UPS and Autodesk. Speaking at Brandweek in Miami, Dara Treseder, CMO at Autodesk, and Kevin Warren, evp and chief marketing and customer experience officer at UPS, discussed how DEI initiatives have proven impactful internally and to undeserved communities. Warren told Chris Ariens, svp and editorial director for Adweek, that UPS aimed to be representative of its customers throughout its executive team and board, while investing in small and medium-sized businesses, a lot of them run by women and entrepreneurs from minority backgrounds, to help them find their way to market. Josh Duhamel and Dakota Media Are Helping Brands Get Uncomfortable “Diversity, equity and inclusion is not charity—it's a business imperative. It makes good business sense because you're able to deliver more value for your customers when your organization is representative of the communities that you serve,” added Treseder, who agreed that the leadership of a business should resemble the customer base it aims to serve. “I've heard people say they want change, and then when change comes they say, 'Not THAT much change.' And so it's really important that when we bring in change agents, we bring people in that don't look like us, and we actually set them up for success because it's like an organ transplant: When you bring in an organ, the body wants to reject it,” she continued. “It's not about someone fitting into the organization, but it's about someone adding and helping us get better," Treseder added. Warren advised from his own experience in driving cultural change that using internal organization charts with pictures of each person can create “a powerful visual” and show the reality when it comes to the true makeup of a company’s workforce. “If you're uncomfortable with the visual, that really will cause you to act,” he explained. Investing big to drive DEI results Treseder revealed that Autodesk reviewed the makeup of the Design and Make industries that rely on the company’s software. The software developer found those industries lacked racial and gender diversity, meaning that if it wanted more under-represented groups to work in those industries, it had to offer its software to all students and educators for free. “You have to start early,” she advised, “to allow underrepresented people to gain the experience, knowledge and skills to be able to function and flourish within a business over time. [Providing accredited educational institutions with] our software for free cost Autodesk hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, but that’s how we were able to move the needle with more women and minorities coming through,” explained Treseder. Brands Taking Action With Autodesk and Pinterest Both marketers are recipients of Adweek's Brand Genius Award, as well as founding members of The Black Executive CMO Alliance, which has grown to represent 37 CMOs from major brands around the world while aiming to further build a pipeline of talent for the future through a mentorship program. Another initiative saw UPS sponsor New York Fashion Week for a third year, donating $150,000 to three fashion-focused small businesses originating from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, supporting them in creating and unveiling new collections during the event. Last year, with a pledged $1.25 million investment to be made over three years, UPS also launched the UPS Ignite program, a partnership with the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs to elevate underrepresented founders and businesses across the U.S. “You can take care of your customer, you can take care of your shareholders, you can take care of your community. It's not like you must trade off one versus the other. We say doing good and moving goods go hand-in-hand,” concluded Warren.

Brandweek

More Than Marketing: UPS and Autodesk Made Diversity a Business Imperative

Marketers Dara Treseder and Kevin Warren shared their experiences and insights at Brandweek

Stephen Lepitak

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