When Annette Morris accepted an internship with Purina through a St. Louis Public Schools work-study program, she could not have envisioned that it would be her place of employment for the next 39 years.
From that internship, Morris has ascended the ranks and currently serves as director of diversity, inclusion and gender balance at Nestlé Purina PetCare Company. She is responsible for developing and executing business inclusion strategies in the areas of workforce, culture, community and marketplace.
“For me, it was important to find a connection linked to continued success, which is why I caution that you don’t always have to leave an organization to expand your career,” said Morris, recipient of a 2016 Business Performer Award from the St. Louis American Foundation.
“The mentors, coaches and sponsors at Purina were a vital component to navigating throughout the company and defining my career path. As a female woman of color, my longevity has come from accepting leadership roles and adapting to change.”
Nestlé Purina consistently ranks among the area’s best places to work. As Morris notes, the workplace appeal extends further than employees’ ability to bring their pets to work daily.
“We took a look inside the company to make sure that we were leading versus following the business imperative to brand diversity and inclusion throughout the organization,” Morris said.
“With the leadership of our Diversity and Inclusion Council, we listened and then implemented strategic steps to help us better lead this fast-growing environment. Our goal is to live the motto: Our product. Our promise. Our people.”
The merger of Nestlé with Purina in 2001 resulted in a greater focus on gender balance within company ranks. Nearly half of the company’s workforce is female.
“When you think about Nestlé being the largest food company in the world with operations in 190 countries, women continue to face difficult workplace challenges in those environments,” Morris said. “We intentionally encourage women to take more leadership opportunities in the company, recognizing the impact they make.”
Morris also said Purina is taking steps to shape a fully integrated approach that values and respects all dimensions of diversity.
While there is no magic formula for recruiting a diverse and inclusive workforce, Morris said the key is to create an environment that attracts the best talent from all demographics. The net has to be cast wide enough, Morris notes, to ensure you do not create barriers to success within the company.
“By targeting diverse groups and organizations through e-recruiting efforts, we hope to engage highly qualified talent interested in joining Purina,” Morris said.
“It’s also important to retain talent after they arrive so that succession planning, leadership opportunities and connection within the organization’s culture is key to retention. Inquiries also come from our website (purinacareers.com), but you can’t put a price tag on having current associates share their stories and experiences with potential talent.”
She said that each of the diversity and inclusion initiatives has become more defined over the last three years, but noted the progress of the Ambassador program.
“The Ambassador program is more than 200 strong and focuses on all associates, not just diverse talent. This means that on Day 1, each person has an opportunity to engage in diversity initiatives,” Morris said. “The Buddy Ambassadors is one such program which connects existing associates with our new hires. This helps convey our key message that ‘None of us are as good as all of us.’”
The St. Louis native holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lindenwood University, and is a graduate of Leadership St. Louis. Morris is a member of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Alumni, the Diversity Awareness Partnership Corporate Roundtable, serves on the boards for Cultural Leadership St. Louis and the Thomas Dunn Learning Center.
While the Business Performer Award has special significance, Morris knows there is more work to be done.
“Receiving this special award means that we are on the right track and have the right vision to continue growing along our diversity and inclusion journey,” she said.
