We believe in the undeniable strength that diversity brings to our business, employees, clients, and communities. Diversity includes origin, heritage, and culture; perspective, thoughts, and experience; and skillset and expertise.
“Our DEI objective is the same as our overall business objective — to strengthen our high-performance culture. We will only succeed in that effort if we create a diverse and inclusive organization where our employees feel empowered and can be their authentic selves. An impactful DEI program will reflect the diversity of the markets and shoppers our global clients serve.”
Kirk Perry, President and CEO, Circana
Our DEI Vision
We focus on four key areas:
Diversify Talent and Create Equitable Talent Practices
Attract, develop, and retain high-performing talent that reflects the broader societies where we live and work.
Empower Our Employees to Build a More Inclusive Culture
Cultivate a dynamic culture so our employees are empowered to engage in inclusive ways and feel valued, respected, and a sense of belonging.
Establish Leadership Accountability and Share Progress
Hold our leadership accountable and share our progress. If we fall short, we will own it, learn from it, and keep moving forward.
Promote Growth Among Our Community and Clients
Do our part to create and maintain an equitable and inclusive consumer goods ecosystem.
“We believe that our diverse workforce, cultures, ideas, and skills set us apart as a global market leader. Diversity and inclusivity bring demonstrable value and innovation to our businesses, clients, and communities while creating a sense of belonging for everyone.”
Cecilia Ogude, Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Circana
Our People
We’re committed to building an equitable workforce that attracts, develops, and retains high-performing talent that reflects the diversity of the broader societies in which we live, work, and serve.
We are experiencing notable progress in our DEI hiring and retention practices around the world. Our percentage of female employees – excluding field employees – is 51%, continuing an upward trend toward gender parity since 2015.
We are also seeing an increase in the ethnic diversity of our workforce. People of color represent over 25% of our workforce, with Asian, Black, and Hispanic employees accounting for the largest groups. To learn more, view our latest Corporate Sustainability Report.
Our Global DEI Executive Council is made up of senior Circana employees empowered to advocate and champion for the success of our DEI efforts.
Lisa Chessare
SVP & Chief Retail Counsel
Jennifer Chhatlani
SVP, Communications
Jennifer Gold
SVP & Group Lead, Agency Partnerships
Rob Hill
President, Retail, North America
Claire Jones
COO, Intelligent Shopper Solutions
Boris Oglesby
EVP & Practice Leader, Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco
Jackie Schulthesis
SVP, Global Operations
Patrick Sinclair
EVP, Professional Services
Ricardo Solar
EVP, Entertainment and Latin America
Kristina Ziemak
VP/Global Chief HR Business Partner
Employee Engagement
We foster diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our culture by actively engaging, listening, and sponsoring DEI groups including but not limited to our Global Employee Advisory Board, Business Resource Groups (BRGs), Italy DEI Committee, APAC Gender Equity Steering Committee, Italy DEI Committee, and South Africa Employment Equity Committee – all of which support the implementation, advocacy, and promotion of DEI efforts throughout the firm.
Our inclusive groups of BRGs are open to all employees to provide them with the opportunity to develop and strengthen leadership skills, connect with colleagues and peers in a global network, support business initiatives, and learn and exchange ideas with others in a supportive environment.
ASPIRE (Asian and Pacific Islanders Reaching Excellence) Creating an environment to become a choice employer for Asian and Pacific Islander (API) talent.
DiversAbility (Disability and Neurodiversity) Enabling employees with disabilities to reach their full potential.
EmpowHer (Women) Empowering female-identifying colleagues in their efforts to be more successful.
Power Up (Early Career Professionals) Providing early career professionals with exposure to all facets of the organization.
Pride Alliance (LGBTQIA+) Creating a sustainable, accountable, and inclusive workplace for LGBTQIA+ employees and allies.
Somos (Latino and Hispanic) Sharing and experiencing the richness of Latin and Hispanic heritage.
VALOR (Veterans Alliance Leading Organizational Results) Uniting and growing our proud community of employee veterans and supporters.
VIBE (Vested In Black Excellence) Recruiting, retaining, supporting, and leveraging our Black employees and allies.
Community Initiatives
We believe that our DEI strategy should improve the world we live in. Our programs have helped create measurable growth and equity for diverse and minority-owned businesses and talent.
Our Diversity Advantage Program (DAP) supports diverse supplier ecosystems and helps level the playing field for minority- and women-owned small CPG businesses to grow.
We open our workplace to young individuals via Generating Genius, showing them what it’s like to work in data insights and analytics, inspiring their interest to work in the field, and ultimately helping create more diversity in the industry.
We partner with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to select UIC students of color to receive ongoing mentorship and instruction from Circana professionals and real-world experience in market research, helping develop a pipeline of diverse talent for the future.
Our collaboration with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and its SeeHer movement supports increasing the accurate portrayals of women and girls in marketing, advertising, media, and entertainment. In partnership with ANA SeeHer, we analyze layers of shopper, panel, and store sales data, along with viewership data, to learn the sales impact of Gender Equality Measure (GEM)-scored ad campaigns.
DEI Highlights
Circana Signs CEO Action Plan for Diversity and Inclusion Pledge
Three Women From Circana Named Top Women in Grocery
Soaring Sales of LGBTQ Fiction Defy Book Bans and Showcase Diversity in Storytelling
Circana Appoints Anne Bramman as Chief Financial and Growth Officer
Amy Marentic Joins Circana as President, Global Solutions
Circana’s Diversity Advantage Program Welcomes a New Cohort
IRI Launches Second Cohort for the 2022-23 UIC-IRI Diverse Marketing Scholars Program
Cecilia Ogude to Lead Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
IRI Announces Diversity Advantage Program to Empower Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses
Awards, recognition, and pledges
