From implementing programmes to creating systemic change: VF's Lauren Guthrie on the evolution of DE&I

In an exclusive interaction with People Matters, Lauren Guthrie, Vice President, Global Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action at VF Corporation, talks about how the definition of DE&I has advanced, and what this means for the way companies need to approach it

- Mint Kang 

Companies' diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) strategies have been evolving rapidly in recent years, with businesses going from simple workplace representation to broader acceptance of different circumstances and challenges, and from a programmatic to a systematic approach.

This is the natural next step in diversity and inclusion, says Lauren Guthrie, VF Corporation's global head of inclusion, diversity, equity and action. Founded more than a century ago, VF Corporation is one of the world's largest workwear and lifestyle companies, and owns well-known brands such as Timberland and The North Face. The company has been using its reach to drive inclusion and equity in the communities it serves, following an IDEA strategy that adds the concept of action to DE&I.

Lauren has been in the apparel industry for over 15 years, and first stepped into a DE&I leadership role when she joined VF in 2018 and took up a position chairing an employee resource group. In 2020, as calls for racial justice in the US intensified, she was appointed the company's first global head of inclusion and diversity with a mandate to operationalise the IDEA strategy.

In an exclusive conversation, People Matters asked Lauren for her take on the evolution of DE&I and the place that action needs to hold in DE&I work. Here's what she told us.

What are your thoughts on the wider global trends around DE&I? How do you think these trends are influencing companies' strategy today?