Championing Inclusivity and Diversity at PepsiCo

Full article via Arab News here

PepsiCo. has always been a champion of women in the workplace. Established in the Kingdom more than 60 years ago, the company is committed to ensuring it provides inclusive workplaces, enabling women to work and advance while still respecting local customs.

The company has been at the forefront of encouraging and promoting women to reach their full potential, in line with the Vision 2030’s women’s empowerment agenda and its Tamakani program.
The driving force behind these transformational projects is Tamer Mosalam, vice president and general manager of Gulf and Levant foods business unit, PepsiCo. Middle East and Africa.

When appointed in 2019, Mosalam pledged to focus on programs emphasizing diversity and inclusion, in line with the aims of Vision 2030.

Today, PepsiCo. employs 177 women across managerial and engineering roles, including a dedicated Pink Production Line staffed entirely by women.
“PepsiCo. is proud to support women in the workplace as a dedicated equal opportunity employer through initiatives such as our highly successful Tamakani program,” Mosalam said.

“Fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity is essential to growth and progress and at PepsiCo, we recognize this responsibility.”

“Tamakani is a product of that vision and I am incredibly proud of what our flagship program has achieved since it was launched last year. It is a unique platform creating opportunities and guidance for women with promising capabilities, identifying their aspirations, and supporting them to realize their full potential,” he added.

Tamakani focuses on five key areas: Supporting women with their work-life balance, career growth, overcoming challenges, assigning mentors, and engaging people as champions to support women as co-workers and family members.

“This year, we also launched a sustainability-focused challenge through Tamakani, aimed at encouraging and promoting female entrepreneurship. The initiative, run in partnership with INJAZ Al-Arab and INJAZ Saudi Arabia, offered 500 female students from four Saudi universities the opportunity to present business ideas aimed at creating a more sustainable planet. I was delighted to recently award team ‘Virdis’ from Imam Abdulrahaman bin Faisal University with the winning prize for their inspiring project aimed at delivering a sustainable food system,” Mosalam said.

Tamakani is the latest initiative from PepsiCo. to promote women in the workplace. In 2018, it ran a driving course for 45 female employees to prepare them for the issuance of driving licenses in Saudi Arabia.

The company has also opened a nursery in its Riyadh office to support women returning to the workplace.

PepsiCo. is also set to recruit more than 70 women in its Dammam plant after meeting the Ministry of Labor’s requirements on women’s safety in the workplace.

The new intake will enable increased production with the addition of two more shifts.
Mosalam is committed to driving positive social impact and building on PepsiCo’s recent successes, ensuring a bright future for Saudi women.

“The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 is committed to realizing female potential and we’re delighted to be a part of this journey as we further our commitment to supporting equal opportunities for every member of society,” he added.