- Through its business units, FEMSA offers various programs that promote multiculturalism in the 18 countries in which it is present.
- From permanent programs to online training, FEMSA promotes cultural exchange as a motor for the professional development of its employees.
Mexico City, Mexico. May 21, 2023. – To celebrate World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, FEMSA and its business units endorse their commitment to promote strategies and actions that promote cultural exchange.
For FEMSA, dialogue between cultures is the essential element for day-to-day work in the 18 countries in which it has a presence.
“For FEMSA, its Talent and Culture has been, is and will be key to continue generating economic and social value through its companies and institutions. With the purpose of guaranteeing the development of our talent in global, digital and purposeful environments, we are convinced that transversal development experiences, such as critical experiences within our industries and in the geographies in which we operate, help our collaborators flourish and develop in an organization like ours that is increasingly innovative, inclusive, open and dynamic,” said Mónica Guzmán Martínez, Manager of Talent Planning at FEMSA.
In this sense, FEMSA has multiple strategies that promote diversity. An example is the mobility strategy between businesses and countries; it also has the Job Posting system, a tool that facilitates visibility and mobility, and in which employees can apply for internal job offers and critical experiences in the different industries and geographies where we operate and play a different role for a certain time to contribute to their professional development and grow from these new interactions.
Likewise, there are other cultural meeting points, such as the annual VIVE FEMSA event between countries, and the monthly “Tops” meetings, in which transversal cultural values and attributes are shared and discussed. Another example is the ‘Let’s Build a Bridge’ panel, which consists of talks that invite to reflect on topics like the roles of men and women and the importance of having a fair organization.
Added to this, programs and strategies stand out in different business units.
Coca-Cola FEMSA
The bottling company has a solid Human Resources model, whose axes are: the development of its collaborators, their integral well-being, labor flexibility and the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Coca-Cola FEMSA has multicultural teams, which serve 270 million people daily throughout 10 countries. Through proactive and purposeful dialogue and exchange with communities, the company strives to ensure that its talent reflects both the market as the business, recognizing that the plurality makes them better and that difference complements them.
In addition, Coca-Cola FEMSA’s strategies, initiatives and programs make it possible to attract, develop and retain diverse talent, promoting internal mobility between the different functions of the company, countries and business units. They also promote critical experiences for employees, providing greater visibility of talent and contributing to a better succession portfolio for key positions within the organization while at the same time offering top-level annual training, which includes all levels of contribution and genres.
Coca-Cola FEMSA’s diversity initiatives consider people with disabilities, all ethnic groups and economically vulnerable people, based on the priorities of each country in which the company operates.
Proximity Division
The Proximity Division offers various programs that encourage and promote inclusion and diversity.
One of the actions consists of the Learning Forums, in which talks on gender equity and awareness-raising about groups in vulnerable situations such as people in refugee situations, migrants, older adults and people with disabilities are offered, thus seeking open dialogue.
It also has a space called Intimate Dialogues, which seeks to raise awareness and educate on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, and human conscience. These dialogues are led by specialists in the field. This year it is intended to reinforce with content focused on the gender perspective, people with disabilities, human dignity, multiculturalism and older adults.
In addition to these programs, different activities are carried out, such as: 1 or 2 cultural dynamics per year, guides on “Do’s & Dont’s” of Inclusive Leadership (for operational and administrative levels), transmission of webinars on parenting and Early Childhood (in coordination with FEMSA Foundation), and a Cross Cultural Training, whose goal is to understand and become immersed in the Swiss culture, given our company’s recent arrival in that country.
FEMSA Collection
As regards to FEMSA Foundation, it promotes diversity with exhibitions and cultural activities through the FEMSA Collection, whose works are a reflection of the exchange that has enhanced the creations of its artists through dialogue, exploration of diversities and meeting points between cultures.
An example of this was the exhibition ‘Making worlds’, An approach to reading FEMSA Collection’ carried out in 2022, and in which the starting point to create other realities was the imagination, which originates from personal worlds and expands from recognition and interaction with different people and cultures.
With all these initiatives, FEMSA recognizes, values, and promotes multiculturalism and the cultural richness of each of the countries in which it is present, with the main goal of contributing to the professional development of its employees and better themselves with new interactions.
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About FEMSA
FEMSA is a leading company that creates economic and social value through companies and institutions and seeks to be the best employer and neighbor of the communities where it has a presence. It participates in retail trade through its Proximity Division, which includes OXXO, a chain of small-format stores, OXXO Gas, a chain of service stations, and Valora, our European retail unit that operates convenience and food service stores. In retail trade, FEMSA also participates through a Health Division, which includes pharmacies and related activities; and the Digital@FEMSA Division, which includes Spin by OXXO and OXXO Premia, as well as other loyalty initiatives and digital financial services. In the beverage industry, it participates by operating Coca-Cola FEMSA, the world’s largest bottler of Coca-Cola products by sales volume; and in the beer sector, as the second largest shareholder of Heineken, one of the world’s leading beer companies with a presence in more than 70 countries. FEMSA also participates in the logistics and distribution industry through FEMSA Strategic Business, which additionally provides refrigeration solutions at the point of sale and plastic solutions to its companies and external clients. Through its Business Units, it employs more than 350,000 employees in 18 countries. FEMSA is a member of the Dow Jones MILA Pacific Alliance Sustainability Index, the FTSE4Good Emerging Index and the S&P/BMV Total México ESG Index, among other indices that assess its sustainability performance.
About Coca-Cola FEMSA
Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. is the largest franchise bottler in the world by sales volume. The company produces and distributes trademark beverages of The Coca-Cola Company, offering a wide portfolio of 134 brands to more than 270 million consumers daily. With over 83 thousand employees, the company markets and sells approximately 3.8 billion unit cases through 2 million points of sale a year. Operating 56 manufacturing plants and 249 distribution centers, Coca-Cola FEMSA is committed to generating economic, social, and environmental value for all of its stakeholders across the value chain. The company is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index, Dow Jones Sustainability MILA Pacific Alliance Index, FTSE4Good Emerging Index, and the Mexican IPC Index and the Social Responsibility and Sustainability Index of the Mexican Stock Exchange, among others. Its operations encompass franchise territories in Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia, Argentina, and, nationwide, in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay and Venezuela through its investment in KOF Venezuela. For more information, please visit www.coca-colafemsa.com
About FEMSA’s Proximity Division
FEMSA’s Proximity Division generates economic and social value in the countries where it has a presence. It operates different small-format retail chains in Latin America and Europe, among which are the OXXO stores. It also operates service stations under the OXXO GAS brand in Mexico, and Valora, our European retail unit that operates convenience and food service stores. Through its business units, FEMSA’s Proximity Division serves more than 13 million consumers every day and employs more than 160,000 employees, promoting inclusion, diversity, and Sustainability practices in its teams to operate in harmony with the planet, community and value chain.
About FEMSA Collection
For over 40 years, FEMSA Collection has sought to preserve, document, consolidate, promote and disseminate modern and contemporary Latin American art. Established in 1977 as part of the company’s commitment to the integral development of its workers, families and their communities, it is currently recognized as one of the most important corporate collections worldwide. Its collection, consisting of more than 1200 works, offers a tour that illustrates the evolution, plurality and richness of artistic production in Latin America during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Through an active program of exhibitions, individual loans for works, publications and various academic and educational activities, FEMSA shares its Collection with the most diverse communities in Mexico and abroad, fulfilling its goal of promoting the dissemination of culture and the promotion of artistic appreciation. The FEMSA Collection is part of the FEMSA Foundation, which create positive impacts on people and communities through social investment projects for sustainability.