Building a team that is diverse and inclusive – why Pizza Hut is the best place to work!

Growing up in a small countryside village in England, my upbringing was far from diverse.?With a 98% white population, small town mentality and slow pace of change, I would need help if I was to learn about the richness of other cultures and the value this could bring.

Thankfully, my family were outwardly focused and culturally curious.?Always seeking a different part of the world within which to explore, welcoming new arrivals into our community regardless of race, gender and sexuality, and connecting culturally with the food, religion and rituals of some of the micro-communities present in our neighboring towns.?I used to get so excited when my Dad occasionally returned from work with a bag full of Indian sweets that he had discovered in a backstreet bakery in our nearest town.

In my professional world, I’ve been blessed to work for 3 incredible businesses over 4 continents and connect with people from all walks of life, a journey for which I am truly grateful.?But it is my most recent posting, as the Managing Director for Pizza Hut in the Middle East, Turkey, Africa and Pakistan which creates the most excitement from the perspective of diversity and inclusion.

One McKinsey report showed that companies in the top quartile for racial/ethnic and gender diversity were respectively 35 and 15 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.?Put simply, building a team that is diverse and inclusive will improve performance…..so why wouldn’t we?

Coming into role, I have had a few principles which have been critical to role model and I’m proud to say we have made considerable progress in each of them.

Treat our business as “One System”

Having deep connections with our franchise and business partners is crucial to how we operate.?Not only at senior levels, but right across the organization.?Understanding the challenges of our team members in dealing with customers, the life of a delivery driver, complexities with our distribution partners as well as the complexities faced by our immediate teams in our office.?“The more you know, the more you care” and I get energized by the inclusiveness of our culture to all.

Hire local and enhance gender diversity in our senior leaders

In the last 18 months, we have undergone a major change and built a leadership which has improved in the diversity of our hires.?From limited senior female representation, we have built a leadership team with over 30% female and this increases to 50% for director-level and above.?Furthermore, we continue to recruit focused on people from within the region and have step-changed the number of speakers of Arabic, French and African languages.?We are able to “win bigger” with more diversity – particularly if it mirrors the communities we serve. Our work here is never done and we are only only just getting started.

Celebrate all cultures and backgrounds

In Pizza Hut META we have the majority of religions represented, 54% female, 25 languages spoken and 16 nationalities across our whole team.?We also have fostered a culture where all are accepted regardless of their age, gender or sexual preference.?In a restaurant company, celebration is so often through food, so whether its our monthly food safari lunch where we explore a different cuisine as a team, or a “lunch and learn” to understand the stories and sweet treats that make Diwali so special, we continue to connect and engage with this essential cultural “pillar” of being diverse and inclusive.

But has it made any difference?

Without question.

For me, the biggest benefit of taking such a deliberate approach to building a diverse and inclusive culture is the extent that our teams feel a sense of “belonging” to either Yum! or the Pizza Hut brand.?Ultimately, if our people are able to be part of a winning team, whilst still being their authentic selves, feeling accepted for who they are and what they can contribute, without judgement - then this generates an over-indexed “belonging” to our company, and our beloved Pizza Hut brand.?

Moreover, that’s not even considering complimentary benefits of the enhanced innovation, increased productivity, and positive culture that diversity and inclusion brings.

But if we continue to focus on moving the needle on feeling a sense of “belonging” as a family, I have absolutely no doubt that our customers will feel this too, and recognize that our pizzas were made with love, by people who care, who are deeply connected with the communities we serve, and progressive in everything we do!