We were proud to welcome Rubén Alejandro Ramirez, Group Head Diversity and Inclusion at Syngenta, to the EMEA Recruitment podcast.
“By being accepting of others and letting other people express themselves just as they are can bring more harmony to the workplace.”
Having been in his current role for almost two years, Paul Toms asks Rubén how it feels to be Group Head of D&I. Despite his successful career as a Marketing professional in Latin America, Rubén was looking for ways to help his community and make the world a little bit better. He describes his new position as a “gift”, explaining the importance of helping employees thrive.
Entering the Human Resources function for the first time was a struggle for Rubén, but his passion and expertise have given him an edge in building momentum in the DE&I space.
After moving away from Marketing, Rubén now sees Syngenta’s employees as his customers. He believes consistency in messaging and listening to what staff need will have a long-term benefit, but he also finds the immediate responses he receives “gratifying”.
Nevertheless, Rubén acknowledges that we are all on our own DE&I journeys. He discusses the current corporate system, whereby four or five generations are still working together. He is committed to helping those earlier on in their journey understand the benefits of D&I for the business and its people.
Rubén explains the best way to address offensive language and conversations in the office, as well as the ways that Syngenta is using business intelligence and data to measure the diversity and inclusion of the organisation.
If you, too, are looking for a career in D&I, Rubén offers advice on taking action and becoming a champion. In fact, it was his father’s commitment to inclusivity that influenced Rubén’s attitudes towards other people.
We end the episode by finding out which CEO has been the most influential on Rubén throughout his career.
To find a particular part of the episode, please use the timestamps below:
01:44: The last thing to make Rubén smile03:15: How it feels to be Group Head of D&I06:08: Moving from Marketing to HR09:08: Delivering the right messages15:48: Driving diversity in teams19:28: How D&I has evolved23:47: How to move into D&I28:50: How BI & data can support D&I35:09: Dealing with offensive language39:16: The key influences in Rubén’s life45:30: How to reach out to Rubén
If you’d like to contact Rubén, connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubenalejandro/
We’re a proud supporter of Operation Smile, an international medical charity that delivers life-changing surgery to children and adults with cleft lip and palate. Help us achieve our goal of creating 100 new smiles by donating: https://www.emearecruitment.com/operation-smile
The EMEA Recruitment podcast is hosted by Paul Toms, our Founder, and Rose Jinks, Senior Marketing Executive.
Find out more about our specialist recruitment services, including HR recruitment, through our website: https://www.emearecruitment.com/
You can also stay up to date with us via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emea-recruitment-limited/
If you’d like to connect with Paul, visit his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultoms/
Or follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/paul_toms
If there are any topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes of the EMEA Recruitment podcast, please reach out to Rose: rose.jinks@emearecruitment.com
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