An interview with Elizabeth Guevara, Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Nestlé USA
We spoke to Elizabeth Guevara, Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Nestlé USA, about the company’s work to spearhead a coalition supporting veterans and underrepresented groups.
ELIZABTEH GUEVARA (EG): Hello! I'm Elizabeth Guevara, a Diversity & Inclusion Program Manager at Nestlé USA.
I lead a national career acceleration initiative called Project Opportunity. Project Opportunity addresses widening skills gaps in the marketplace by developing hidden talent pools and helping jobseekers create pathways to jobs, with a particular focus on transitioning servicemembers, early careerists, and underrepresented groups. Project Opportunity contributes to Nestlé’s global ambition to improve 30 million livelihoods in communities directly tied to our business.
Project Opportunity’s motto is ‘building skills, together’—following that notion, As part of the initiative, Nestlé founded the Project Opportunity Alliance in 2018 to extend our impact. The Alliance provides a platform for companies and organizations to address workforce challenges through sharing best practices and implementing solutions with real outcomes. Over 20 organizations are part of this effort – and we’re all looking for ways to address tactical employability challenges, specifically those facing military and underrepresented groups.
EG: Jobs in agriculture and the broader food industry can vary widely, from farming to retail to supply chain. While Nestlé does not directly employ the farmers who grow our ingredients, our workforce does include some farmers and an array of people with agricultural expertise. We recognize the importance of developing the next generation of farmers for all types of agricultural work. Our Project Opportunity efforts support developing the next generation of workers, whether they become part of our team at Nestlé, part of our ecosystem of partners, or are among the entrepreneurial suppliers in our value chain. Through various strategic partners, we provide educational webinars or information sessions to ensure military and underrepresented groups are better positioned to pursue careers in our ecosystem of work.
One organization that we sponsor, Dog Tag Inc., creates a “living business school” experience for veterans and military spouses. Their educational curriculum establishes a strong baseline for entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship. We provide their fellows with insights on the innovation that happens within our company through an immersive day, with presentations from our business, our employee resource group leaders, and with flash mentoring sessions. Fellows may transition from the program to corporate positions at Nestlé, at our partner companies, or other organizations. Or, they may start their own businesses or agripreneurial entities.
EG: Military community members are familiar with dynamic shifts and uncertainties, yet they are very mission driven and have strong leadership skills. They often possess our Ways of Winning: Collaboration, Courage, Speed and Agility. These are critical skills to ensure that we can address current business realities and have the ability to innovate and adapt to future work needs.
With growing talent gaps in our industry, it is imperative for us to focus on creating upskilling opportunities for military and other underrepresented groups.
We are focused on continuing to develop a military-supportive culture at Nestlé. Our MilCom Employee Resource Group (ERG) is a key part of this. We invite all employees to join this group, not only military community members. Through our employee group, along with industry, government and educational partnerships, we are able to offer an environment for military members to successfully navigate a career in civilian life.
EG: Nestlé is built in part on the principle that a diverse and inclusive culture is the foundation of our strength. Project Opportunity is bolstering that foundation. We realize that employability is not simply about hiring. It is about building skills and capabilities, and expanding access to meaningful careers, instilling an employment culture of inclusion and belonging.
Ensuring a pipeline of next-generation talent is critical to the future of our industry. With our focus on military hiring and access to jobs, we’re ensuring that we’re creating a diverse workforce and supporting underrepresented groups.
EG: Nestlé formally launched the Project Opportunity Alliance in 2018 as a collective approach to solving future workforce skills gap challenges and expanding opportunities for the military community.
Charter members of the Alliance include Cargill, Adecco Group, Sodexo, Starbucks, Nestlé and other companies focused on future-proofing the workforce today and tomorrow.
Key focus areas for the Alliance include:
The coalition is working to build diverse recruitment strategies that focus on building talent pools from the military community, along with other underrepresented groups. Finally, we are strengthening retention strategies by creating innovative ways to advance and support our military and underrepresented talent.
EG: There are so many paths to consider in the food and agriculture industries. Beyond farming jobs, there are various opportunities in sustainability, manufacturing, supply chain, R&D, even analytics. The USDA Veterans Employment Program can offer a great starting point. Other organizations like AgrAbility and Farmer Veteran Coalition also provide tremendous resources. Find an organization that inspires you and explore the career entry points there.
To find out more about the Project Opportunity Alliance please contact, Elizabeth Guevara Elizabeth.Guevara@us.nestle.com
