What it means to actively drive the DE&I change

With Suat Demokan

This episode is supported by Advance, Gender Equality in Business of wich Bühler is a member.

Logo Advance Gender Equality in Business
Bühler is a globally active Swiss technology group specialized in solutions for food and mobility. It´s a quite pragmatic and operational-driven field with a predominantly male workforce and only 17% share of female employees. What is remarkable, however, is that Bühler`s management includes 14% women – with an increasing tendency.

Even if a diverse community was not a big priority or even an issue in the beginning, this aspect has now been given a strong weight in Bühler’s company mission and corporate values.

Today I´m talking to Suat Demokan, Global HR Business Partner – Manufacturing, Logistics & Supply Chain about Bühler’s way to more Diversity, Equity and Inclusion but also and mainly about his very personal experience with the topic.

Corinne Schneider, D&I Ambassador and former Global D&I Lead, Bühler Management AG, also attended the interview and will tell us a bit about Bühler’s specific programs in this field.

“It´s a belief… It´s something you believe in!
Because again: the effect you see may come 2 years later… 3 years later. I think it is an illusion, that you invest in something like this
(DE&I) and you see an impact in months or weeks later. Until you really can measure it on KPIs it will take years! […]”

 What you will learn

    • DE&I is also an investment of trust. Until you can measure the effects on KPIs it can take years

    • Creating a diverse and inclusive company culture means continuous work where you constantly must refresh and adapt to new learnings and developments!

    • Honest DE&I work means offering strategies on how to deal with insecurity, and tools for a healthy conflict communication. It´s about supporting and accompanying the process of transition from where we are as a company / society to where we want to be.

Tips

    • Awareness and consciousness is not enough.
      Try to actively challenge the things you think need to change.

    • Think about a personal situation where you directly or indirectly have been affected by bias. Then use that emotion to feel what DE&I really means and convert it into productive energy to come into action and advocate for the topic!

Find Suat online

Suat on LinkedIn

Biography

Suat Demokan has started his professional career in consultancy for Software Solution with EY before having become self-employed for 6 years serving customers cross industries on solution for financial consolidation. After having joined Sulzer for a global project in 2004 Suat has decided to change functional direction and started an HR career in 2007 with serving in almost all roles from the basic factory HR manager up to a Global HR Executive. After more than a decade in Sulzer he was seeking for a new challenge and has joined Bühler as Global HR Business Partner for Manufacturing and Supply Chain. In addition to this role Suat has taken on responsibility as HR Business Partner Europe as of 2019.

Suat is a dual citizen (Swiss/Turkish), is married since 26 years and has two grown up children. In his rare spare time he enjoys playing football, golf and hiking with the family and dog.

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