Diversity, allyship and success combine at KDP Canada

When veteran Keurig Dr Pepper Canada executive Olivier Lemire became president of the company in 2021, he was already deeply committed to KDP Canada’s initiative to intensify its diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts. “We all feel strongly that it is part of our core values, to be a truly diverse and inclusive workplace, where people have a sense of belonging, and I think it’s paying dividends now in the culture of the organization,” says Lemire.

The Montréal-based beverage-maker’s D&I drive has already made an impact. In Canada, female representation in leadership roles is now over 35 per cent, surpassing the broader company’s goal of 33 per cent by 2025. The group health insurance plan responded to employee needs and has been retooled in Canada to offer support for fertility treatments (for men and women), contraception and increased coverage for mental, physical and financial health.

The eight employee resource groups, which cover a range of self-identification from LGBTQ+ to parents and caregivers, all have “and allies” as part of their names. That is a very important addition for Lemire.

“The concept of allyship is powerful,” he says. “You want to create momentum around it. For D&I, you want allyship to become part of the mindset and behaviour in everyone. For people to raise their hand and be an ally to certain groups definitely carries a strong voice and considerably adds to the sense of inclusion – we don’t want to create silos.”

Most significant to the KDP Canada president, though, is the 87 per cent response rate from employees to the annual engagement survey. “We ask specific questions pertaining to D&I – do you see it as a priority for the organization? Do you believe we’re making progress? Are we holding to our commitments? When people feel it’s authentic, you get a high rate of feedback, because that means they trust that their voices will be heard. Inclusion drives a strong sense of engagement, and a highly engaged workforce is what powers the best-performing organizations,” Lemire says.

Névine Bouzakhm, KDP Canada’s supply chain director, has the same outlook when talking about her still male-dominated field. “About a year ago, D&I became the focus for the supply chain team in particular. Our chief supply chain officer had a conference call with about a dozen women working in the supply chain team. And that lit a fire under us. We met and discussed our ideas, including raising the ratio of women in supply chain. We’ve made strides already; for instance, we’ve gone from one female site director to three. And this was accomplished by working together, with fantastic backing from senior management,” she relates.

“It all ties tightly together,” says Lemire, “in a way that is critical to recruitment and retention. In addition to engagement and performance, D&I brings openness and a variety of perspectives, so we see people grow their careers within KDP Canada and develop their knowledge and skills in-house.

“And when attracting new talent,” he continues, “the reality is what companies end up offering is less and less the specifics of their roles, and more and more their vision, values and culture, and we at KDP Canada believe we have a lot to offer.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers winners, published November 17, 2023 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Keurig Dr Pepper Canada promotes a learning culture

After a career spent in the financial and public sector, Martin Vermette joined Keurig Dr Pepper Canada (KDP Canada) in mid-2021, and he’s enjoyed every minute since then.

“I didn’t know anything about the consumer-packaged goods industry or what KDP Canada was about other than being a coffee and soft drink company,” says Vermette, a senior manager in human resources responsible for the commercial division, IT departments and talent development. “I am most excited about the strong culture of innovation and human values.

“My colleagues are incredible, the opportunities for growth are endless and my time here has gone by so quickly that it feels like I started yesterday.”

And there’s plenty to be excited about at KDP Canada. The company may be widely known for its coffee business through the brand Keurig, but it is, in fact, the third-largest player in the beverage industry. KDP Canada offers a wide variety of hot and cold products, marketed under more than 60 leading brands, such as Canada Dry, Schweppes, Mott’s Clamato, Van Houtte, Timothy’s, Bai and the recently acquired Québec brand of non-alcoholic cocktails called Atypique.

Lê-Ngoc Chiem spent most of her career in consumer-packaged goods manufacturing companies before joining KDP Canada eight years ago. “I was attracted by KDP Canada’s reputation for sustainability, its involvement in local communities and its caring attitude toward maintaining the quality of life of its employees,” says Chiem, director of financial planning and analysis. “Because KDP Canada has been experiencing tremendous growth, the company focuses on talent development and provides many opportunities for employees to learn and explore new skills.”

Even as a seasoned professional, Chiem has had many opportunities to grow during her KDP Canada tenure. She started as a commercial finance manager supporting sales and marketing strategy. Then she moved to the financial planning team and was promoted from senior manager to director.

“I’ve been very lucky to benefit from our mentoring program,” she says. “I’ve had mentors from the strategy and treasury teams.”

Keurig Dr Pepper Canada uses the 70-20-10 rule to develop talent where new knowledge and skills acquired mostly come from varied and challenging work opportunities. “In a company as diverse as KDP Canada, employees can explore new skills through projects, move from one team to another or be given stretch assignments, in addition to have access to mentoring and traditional training,” says Vermette.

KDP Canada goes to great lengths to mentor the 15 to 25 students it recruits in summer, fall and winter under its ‘LEAP’ and co-op programs. “Every employee can volunteer to be a mentor,” says Vermette. “They meet regularly with their mentees to discuss career options, problem-solving and networking opportunities, among other things.”

The company also involves the co-op students in various projects that give them real exposure to the business. “We work with every business unit within KDP Canada to identify areas where they can bring value and learn from their experience,” he says. “At the end of their co-op, they present their projects’ outcomes to the senior leadership team.”

KDP Canada offers full-time employees tuition reimbursement for professional accreditation as well as external degree programs relevant to their positions. The company also has a suite of internal training programs and certifications that are tailored to employee development and the work they do.

“One of the most important aspects of KDP Canada is our culture and creating an environment that allows employees to grow,” says Vermette. “It’s something you feel and breathe on a day-to-day basis.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Montreal’s Top Employers winners, published February 28, 2023 in the Montreal Gazette. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Growth creates opportunity at Keurig Dr Pepper Canada

Katherine Lamarche got an inside look at Keurig Dr Pepper Canada (KDP Canada) as a student intern and she knew it was where she wanted to launch her career after earning a marketing degree at the Université de Montréal’s Haute études commerciales.

“The career opportunities we have at KDP Canada are truly exceptional and are what really makes me stay here and why I love it so much,” says Lamarche, manager, key accounts. “It’s a business in full effervescence that focuses on innovation and the growth of its portfolio, which makes it very exciting.”

Besides a wide range of coffee products and Keurig brewers, KDP Canada boasts multiple divisions and manages a portfolio of over 60 brands of hot and cold beverages, some owned outright, others sold under licence or through partnerships or commercial alliances. Along with such well-known names as Schweppes, Dr Pepper, Crush, Canada Dry and Bai, the company has also recently acquired a Québec brand of non-alcoholic cocktails called Atypique.

“We’ve welcomed a lot of new people over the past three to five years to sustain our growth,” says Olivier Lemire, president. “We have a dynamic and energetic workforce that brings new ideas to the table and is not afraid of challenging the status quo.”

That is due, in no small part, to the company’s robust internship and co-op programs. With Canadian corporate offices in Montréal and Mississauga, Ont., KDP Canada recruits 15 to 25 second-year students, mainly from universities in Montréal and Toronto, for summer and winter co-ops. The company also runs a summer internship program for production, logistics and supply chain positions at its Montréal-based coffee roasting and production facility.

“We give them real experience,” says Lemire. “They’re not going to be sorting through files or organizing paper. They are going to help create value in the company’s projects and operations.”

Lemire makes time to meet the students and they get introduced to all the vice-presidents. The company also supports them through lunch and learns as well as other learning experiences.

“At the end of each cohort we sit down with the students and ask them what they liked, what we could do differently and what we could improve,” Lemire adds.

KDP Canada also has a well-structured onboarding program. Lemire and his senior director of human resources meet all new hires, generally within their first couple of months. The company assigns a buddy to mentor newcomers and provide career advice.

“We spend a lot of time making sure that people who join our organization feel good and valued from day one,” he says. “It’s a huge part of retention.”

KDP Canada gives employees time off to contribute to their communities through volunteer work. The company supports a variety of organizations in the areas of its Canadian offices including Mississauga Food Bank, Moisson Montréal and Mission Old Brewery and participates in many charitable events such as the Make-a-Wish 48-hour bike ride and the Charles Bruneau Foundation hockey tournament.

Lamarche, for one, has been an active participant. “We have a team of six to 12 that participates in a lot of outside activities like a 24-hour skiing event at Mont-Tremblant every December,” she says. “It’s one of the many charity events that KDP Canada supports and encourages its employees to attend and volunteer their time for a good cause.”

Lemire adds that such endeavours make employees better people and make KDP Canada a great place to work. “We promote health and well-being,” he says. “We promote networking and making connections. Younger people want to join an organization that’s on the move and looking forward.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Employers for Young People winners, published January 24, 2023 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.