Fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce and supplier base is an important component of Valvoline’s strategic mission, and the unique perspectives that shape each individual help inform our decisions as a company.

We believe those concepts are critical to advancing innovative thinking at Valvoline, so we continue to develop an environment where team members feel valued, engaged, and inspired to be their best. Our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is not limited to Valvoline’s workplace, but also to how we focus our charitable giving and volunteer efforts.

Through our focus on diverse talent development and acquisition last year, we saw improvements in our female and non-white representation at “Director & Up” levels. When compared to last year, our female representation increased to 26 percent (up from 25 percent) at this level and non-white representation increased 13 percent (up from 10%). When combined, our overall diverse headcount at “Director & Up” levels sits at 38%, up from 35% the previous year.

Valvoline’s 2021 Employee Engagement Survey included topics that provided insights relative to our DEI efforts. From questions that explored the value of diverse perspectives and comfort with voicing opinions in the workplace, Valvoline achieved an overall DEI score of 84 percent, reflecting a positive trend in our culture.

As part of our mentoring program, we have established a specific DEI initiative called Inclusive Leadership. The program is designed to equip mentees with the conceptual frameworks and tools necessary to develop and practice inclusive leadership skills.

The nine-month program is based on three foundational principles, including fairness and respect; value and belonging; and confidence, inspiration and perseverance. Of the participants in the 2021 mentoring program, 57 percent were female and 33 percent were non-white, demonstrating its broad appeal.

Valvoline’s Global Giving Campaign is an annual event that includes a combination of team member gifts and Valvoline corporate matches for qualifying non-profit organizations that align with our giving pillars.

While our event was again conducted virtually this year, the passion of our team members for giving didn’t wane. In fact, our campaign resulted in a nearly $700,000 raised for charities. Valvoline global team members participated in a virtual 5-K, and an in-person 5-K race was held at our headquarters in Lexington to celebrate the event.