Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As part of our commitment to caring for people, we aim to create diverse and inclusive teams that help us to better reflect—and better understand—our customers and stakeholders, enhance our business performance, and work ever more innovatively. In 2023, we continued our efforts to develop a highly engaged workforce that represents the makeup of the societies in which we operate.

One of the key means of achieving this goal is by increasing the number of women holding senior management positions. To measure this within SHV we use the Korn Ferry Hay (KF Hay) job evaluation methodology, to determine the relative worth of different jobs in an organisation. By 2030, we aim to see this figure reach a minimum of 30% (KF Hay ≥21) compared to the current 18%. In 2022, females represented 17% of senior positions.

We also actively measure our progress against benchmarks such as the talent pipeline (KF Hay 16-20) and FTEs in general. As things stand, females make up 26% of KF Hay16-20. (This figure excludes Kiwa, currently in the process of introducing KF Hay grades.) 

SHV also aims to see senior management teams include at least two different nationalities by 2030. In 2023, 85% of our teams already met this goal, compared to 74% in 2022.

Over the year, individual Groups have focused on specific areas of improvement such as shaping a balanced talent pipeline by using best practices in recruitment, development, and promotion.

2023 also saw a number of cross-Group DEI initiatives. We introduced the Blue Card to raise awareness of unconscious biases and non-inclusive behaviour. We continue to host Taking the Stage and the Sharing the Stage dialogues to support the empowerment and visibility of underrepresented communities across the organisation to become an ever more inclusive organisation. In addition, we are fine-tuning the SHV Employer Value Proposition to incorporate clear DEI messaging and looking at new ways to address and communicate the topic more prominently both internally and externally.

We continue to adapt to the post-Covid world, supporting hybrid working while simultaneously retaining a shared sense of belonging.

The board launched with vacancies from across SHV Energy, Nutreco, and Kiwa. NPM, Adaptfy, and SHV Holdings are set to follow in 2024. Adaptfy demonstrated their expertise by managing the technical part of the project, which has provided a great example of cross-functional and cross-group collaboration.

Every Group started to make deep dive analyses on fair pay in the different business units, mainly in the large countries, since this is a key principle in the SHV reward philosophy. Follow up actions were taken where appropriate in individual cases. However, first analyses did not show any structural and or intentional pay gaps which could not be explained by justifiable reasons such as the type of position and level of the position in the organisation, the seniority and performance of the individual employee.

In 2023 we laid the foundations for the cross Group Global Rewards Policy and Guidelines as well as the Fair Pay Framework. This will support our global organisation in further aligning the existing local practices and policies.

Comprising a standardised set of principles that Groups can adapt to suit their local market conditions, the policy, guidelines, and framework will support all entities in delivering the expected levels of parity, consistency, and transparency in pay. In doing so, it will formalise our underlying philosophy of - and shape our actions towards - fair pay for all.

With the European Pay Transparency Act 2026 legislation and CSRD both on the horizon, the Global Rewards Policy and Guidelines and Fair Pay Framework will underpin our commitment to treating all people equally.

The two models have been rolled out across the Groups, supported by the growing change management community launched at the end of 2022. This community has provided a rich source of cross-Group learnings, which are in turn helping to leverage best practices, complete projects more efficiently and more cost effectively, and make the most of diverse perspectives to achieve visible results.

The SHV Foundation programme includes Being Part of SHV, to understand and appreciate what SHV stands for ; Management Essentials, focusing on the fundamentals of good management in line with the SHV Leadership profile; Taking the Stage, to support empowerment of female colleagues; and Sharing the Stage, a dialogue that focuses on understanding (unconscious) bias and promoting equality, inclusion, and diversity in the workplace.

SHV Leadership Development programmes include LEAD and Now for Next. Designed to provide current and future leaders with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of ESG, digitalisation, and AI, these programmes also place an emphasis on strong leadership and self-reflection in a fast-changing world. We believe that people learn, grow, and thrive more effectively with like-minded peers. At the same time, we connect current senior management and experts with the leaders to come. In doing so, we are developing a cross-Group network of people and resources that seamlessly bridges the generations.

The individual Groups will also continue to supplement these development programmes with their own offerings, such as Nutreco’s SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) and SHV Energy’s Energy Transition Mini MBA. All are aimed at placing an emphasis on strong leadership behaviour in the light of a fast-changing world, with a particular focus on ESG.