PPG banks on first global DEI head to 'accelerate' the company's agenda

Dive Brief:

PPG announced Nov. 4 the appointment of Marvin Mendoza in the newly-developed role of global head of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), effective Nov. 9. Mendoza reports to Kevin Walling, chief human resources officer at PPG, a Fortune 500 company and global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials.
Mendoza will spearhead PPG's global DEI vision and strategy while using data-driven insights to "accelerate" a DEI agenda, the company said. "We have a responsibility as individuals and as an organization to ensure our workforce is inclusive of all backgrounds and reflects the communities in which we live and work," Walling said.
Most recently, Mendoza served as diversity and inclusion (D&I) chief operating officer at PwC and led the evolution of the firm's D&I data and analytics approaches. Mendoza was "at the helm of evolving the firm's D&I strategy in response to the impacts of COVID-19 and racial injustice," PPG said. His prior positions at PwC also included chief of staff for the workforce of the future practice and lead for PwC's purpose activation consulting practice.

Dive Insight:

Amid calls for racial justice this summer, many companies reviewed their DEI policies and practices at the urging of employees and consumers. PPG's enhanced commitment to DEI included Mendoza's new position as well as financial support of organizations addressing racial injustices and a focus on employee engagement, the company said.

Like PPG, some companies that previously didn't have a role dedicated to DEI created one. Meanwhile, others made pledges to increase the recruitment of diverse talent. Top companies for DEI focus on recruiting and advancement, according to Diversity Best Practices' 2020 Inclusion Index, released Aug. 18. All of the companies in the top 10% of the index require diverse candidates in interview slates; 75% require a diverse panel of interviewers. And the majority (80%) said they monitor the race/ethnicity and gender of mentoring participants.

But momentum for DEI professionals has been accelerating for at least the past 10 years, Haven Cockerham, CEO and founder of Cockerham and Associates, told HR Dive in a previous interview. "Diversity work grew out of affirmative action, [equal employment opportunity laws] and HR," Cockerham said. In just the past five years, the number of executives with diversity and inclusion titles has more than doubled, according to a June report released by ZoomInfo, a business-to-business database. An analysis of professionals in its database found that about 2,250 roles with "diversity" or "inclusivity" in the title existed in 2019, compared to 876 in 2014.

Highlighted by Mendoza's hire, PPG understands that "a diverse workforce, representing wide-ranging nationalities, cultures, languages, religions, ethnicities, and professional and educational experiences, allows us to meet challenges quickly, creatively and effectively," Walling said.