Interview with Deniz Kirdar True : Diversity at Workplace

Welcome to the Cultural Diversity blog, Deniz. You are working as Diversity & Inclusion Manager in one of big international company. Can you please tell us about your role and impact to your company?

My key responsibility is to develop and implement company’s global diversity & inclusion strategy together with my counterparts in different business units. The aim is to embed diversity & inclusion into the core processes so there is no need for my role in the future. It is mindset change and we would like it to be integrated into the way we think and act in the organization. We would like to make the diversity within work in a way that we have a work environment that allows and encourages differences which in turn enhances business results and enables each individual to reach their career aspirations.

What is your own definition for diversity? What are elements of diversity?

Diversity is all those differences we bring based on our life experiences, background, education and thinking. There are visible differences such as gender, race and age as well as invisible differences such as nationality and religion. At the end of the game, diversity is diversity of thought.

What kind of challenges and opportunities do you face while you try to increase diversity in your company?

Opportunities are huge; in a homogenous culture you are missing out on innovation, risk management and performance. By utilizing the full potential of the talent pool and better understanding of customer needs, the companies can do much more than they can today. The challenge stems from the same homogenous culture where it is difficult to realize the need for a change since everyone thinks alike. The world of diversity & inclusion is rather complex and multidimensional. Individual choices are as influential on the outcome as organizational cultures and both are wrapped in the socio-economic context which adds another dimension. In order to be successful, one needs to understand all factors in play.

What would be your recommendations to other companies or leaders to drive diversity at workplace successfully?

There is not one single solution that solves it all, if there were we wouldn’t be still struggling after so many years of work. What makes the needle move is a composition of multiple interventions. But before anyone moves to initiatives, there are two areas to address: accountability and measurement. Without top management commitment and accountability, the grass roots approach cannot go very far. Metrics are also very important, what gets measured gets done is such a cliché but holds true.

Thank you Deniz !

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Deniz Kirdar True
Group Diversity & Inclusion Manager / A.P. Moller-Maersk

Deniz Kirdar True was born in Izmir, Turkey in 1981. She is Group Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Maersk Group. A Graduate in Mathematics, she entered Maersk Group in 2003, where she started working in Customer Service in Maersk Line. For 3 ½ years, she worked in Turkey and Switzerland and had responsibility for regional and global key clients. In 2007, she moved to Maersk Group headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark to join Process Excellence in Maersk Line. From 2007-2010, she received certification first as Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, later as Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and assumed a Project Leader role in various regional & global strategic projects and change programs in line and terminal operations, finance, sales and customer service. Deniz has MSc degree in Organisational Psychology at the University of London.