Enhancing the Impact of Workplace Fairness With Data - Fair360

Ferrara today announced it has been recognized as a leading U.S. company for workplace fairness by Fair360 (formerly DiversityInc). The sugar confections manufacturer was named to two lists in the annual rankings for the first time, underscoring its rapid progress in the three years since Ferrara established its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) program with the aim of becoming best in class for workforce diversity.

Ferrara’s two honors include:

• The Noteworthy Companies list, which recognizes performance in human capital diversity, leadership accountability, talent programs, workplace practices, supplier diversity and philanthropy. Noteworthy Companies have near-term potential to make the nationwide Fair360 (formerly DiversityInc) Top 50 list.
• The Top Regional Companies, which recognizes the same performance within specific geographic footprints.

“The Ferrara team is proud of the fast progress we have made to infuse diversity and inclusion throughout the organization,” said Ferrara CEO Marco Capurso. DE&I is a regular topic in Capurso’s leadership meetings and departmental reviews.

“We are pleased to have this work validated by the Fair360 recognition,” Capurso said. “We will continue to drive for meaningful commitments and results to ensure equitable opportunities for all employees.”

The Fair360 rankings verify companies’ workforce diversity policies, evaluating companies within the context of their industries on verified policies, practices and procedures. The metrics-driven rankings are derived from employer surveys.

Fair360 Noteworthy Companies must meet the same criteria as its Top 50 rankings. Criteria include diverse racial and ethnic representation in the overall workforce and management, new hires, promotions, turnover and highest-paid employees. The Fair360 (formerly DiversityInc) process also measures leadership accountability, talent programs, workplace practices supplier diversity and philanthropy.

“Ferrara’s senior leaders are evaluated on DE&I accountability metrics, and in 2023 they will establish specific goals for their department,” said Natasha Miller Williams, vice president and head of DE&I at Ferrara. “We’re excited to continue our journey of driving systemic change with the leadership of our executive team, and support of our eight business resource groups, DE&I council, and other colleagues.”

Ferrara’s DE&I initiative includes these workplace fairness programs:

• After launching a Self-ID campaign last year, Ferrara is studying the intersectionality of Black, Indigenous and women workers of color. In 2023, the company launched a BIPOC Women’s Success program to support this group and address organizational barriers as they drive transformational change for themselves and their teams.
• An experienced data analyst leads a systemic review of Ferrara’s people processes.
• A DE&I Council brings together C-suite leadership, executive sponsors and business resource group (BRG) representatives.
• Business resource groups representing Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, diversely abled, LGBTQIA+, veteran, multigenerational and women employees receive financial and executive support.
• A hiring strategy requires multiple diverse candidates for each position. In the first year of the Diverse Slates initiative, Ferrara increased corporate BIPOC hires from 37% to 45%.
• DE&I events, mentoring programs, executive listening tours and annual Day of Understanding events including Ferrara’s North American facilities support the company’s value of empathy, cultivating trust and collaboration.

"Since 2001, the Fair360 (formerly DiversityInc) Top 50 survey has become the external validator for large U.S. employers committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion," said Carolynn Johnson, CEO of Fair360, organizer of the Top 50 competition. "These rankings represent evidence-based, superior human capital outcomes that are achieved only by data transparency and an unwavering commitment to workplace fairness for everyone."

“The structure we’ve put in place gives Ferrara a forum to work out difficult issues and meet our performance goals,” Miller Williams said. “The Fair360 honors are something to celebrate—and we feel both pride and a renewed energy around the DE&I commitments that help our teams and our communities thrive.”

About Ferrara

For more than 100 years, Ferrara has created sugar confections that share delight in every bite to candy lovers of all generations. Today, the company is the #1 sugar confectioner in the U.S. Ferrara boasts a passionate team of more than 4,500 employees working together to create and deliver hundreds of products sold under a portfolio of popular brands such as Brach’s®, NERDS®, SweeTARTS®, and Trolli® to more than 66 million U.S. households annually. Ferrara’s success in industry-leading innovation has been driven by deep consumer insights, strong retailer co-creation and partnerships, and a dedication to diversity of thought, experience, and people. The privately held company has a close relationship with the Ferrero Group as a related company which provides industry partnership and collaboration opportunities. Headquartered in Chicago, Ferrara has an operational network in North America that includes manufacturing, distribution sales and R&D facilities. Learn more at www.ferrarausa.com or www.linkedin.com/company/ferrara-.

About Fair360 (formerly DiversityInc)

The mission of Fair360 (formerly DiversityInc) is to educate the workforce and bring clarity to the business benefits of workplace fairness, equity and inclusion. The organization has evolved to become the preeminent source of human capital data, education and advice. For more information, visit www.fair360.com.