Gonzales Weekly Citizen
BASF in Geismar was presented with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Diversity Star Award during its sixth annual Diversity in Business Event, which was held virtually Aug. 11. The Diversity Star Award recognizes businesses in the Capital Region that leverage the value of diversity in organizations.
BASF was named a recipient of the Diversity Star Awards for exceptional diversity and inclusion practices within the company and the community. BRAC highlighted BASF’s Female Leaders Advancing Manufacturing Excellence program, which helps women in manufacturing, its employee-led resource groups, its Supplier Diversity Program and its dedication to career mobility barriers for women and minority communities, along with numerous other diversity and inclusion initiatives.
“This distinction is a significant recognition of our team’s efforts to improve diversity and inclusion at BASF. I’m proud of the inclusive culture we have created at our BASF Geismar site and believe anyone who joins our team will truly feel valued, respected and connected,” said Jerry Lebold, senior vice president and general manager of BASF’s site in Geismar. “At BASF, we strive every day to live our core value of valuing people above all else. We believe anyone and everyone who works at the Geismar site should be able to bring their whole selves to work without fear of being excluded.”
Lebold added that the site’s efforts to improve diversity and inclusion have led to an increase in diversity among the leadership team, 50 percent of whom are now diverse. Additionally, 50 percent of BASF’s 2021 summer interns in both production and technical roles are diverse. BASF reached its goal of 22-24 percent female leadership company-wide in 2019 two years before its 2021 goal, and it set a new goal of 30 percent female leadership by 2030. BASF also requires its human resources team to ensure half of the candidates selected for interviews come from diverse backgrounds. It also requires half of the people interviewing candidates for open positions are people from diverse backgrounds.
BASF was one of two organizations in the Capital Region recognized with the Diversity Star Award.