Mondelēz International is investing in its cybersecurity and digital workplace services. 

The No. 17 publicly owned consumer goods company has teamed with HCL Technologies as part of a multi-year contract. To support its hybrid workplace model, Mondelēz leveraged HCLTech’s BigFix platform to automate the discovery and remediation of potential vulnerabilities. This is designed to ensure all endpoints are continuously secured and compliant.

Automation and artificial intelligence are expected to provide an intuitive, on-demand personalized user experience and accelerated issue resolution to Mondelez’s 110,000-plus employees across 79 countries. 

Punit Jain, CTO AMEA, global digital workplace lead at Mondelēz International, said the partnership will enable the food company to leverage the power of intelligence automation to drive growth and enhance the employee experience. 

"The world of work continues to change, so delivering a great employee experience is vital,” Jain noted. “Having productive and happy employees means we continue to delight our customers. Therefore, we must proactively maintain and manage our digital workplace environment.”

Beauty brand Coty has launched a new corporate identity, centered around its new purpose — “together, we unleash every vision of beauty” — and value: “fearless kindness.” This is the latest phase of growth under the leadership of CEO Sue Y. Nabi. 

As part of this mission, Coty looks to break down barriers in beauty, creating innovative and science-based solutions that allow consumers to create their own vision of beauty. The brand hopes to work alongside the beauty industry to accomplish this mission.

[Read more: Coty Dives Into Sustainable Fragrance Production With Carbon-Captured Ethanol]

To encapsulate the new identity, which has been codified within the brand's corporate values, Coty is introducing a new tagline: “Coty, Fearless. Forward. You.”

According to Nabi, beauty has always been, and will continue to be, at the heart of society and culture.” The question of what is beautiful has built and fueled our industry through time,” she said in a statement. “We believe that today, no one can control or should dictate what is or is not beautiful. Beauty is formless, like water, a constantly evolving and adapting concept. Therefore, we need to undefine the notion of beauty.”

Nabi added that this is something the industry needs to face together by creating synergies that lead to innovations. 

“Collaboration is the catalyst for creating forward-thinking beauty,” said Nabi. “In synchrony with our people, our partners, and our customers, we will develop products that provide new, innovative, and simply better science-based solutions. Together, we will make over the world of beauty."

PepsiCo marked the 40th anniversary of its Supplier Diversity Program with a commitment to expand its base and increase overall spend through new forums, mentorship, partnerships, and resources.

As part of the Supplier Diversity Program, PepsiCo currently spends more than $1 billion annually with certified, diverse suppliers, including women, Black, Hispanic, Asian, LGBTQ+, Native American, individuals with disabilities, and U.S. veterans. The program has grown from an initial spend of $5 million in 1982 to nearly $30 billion spent over the past 40 years across PepsiCo's entire value chain.

The expansion will include increased support around the supplier certification process to help businesses grow and sustain their economic impact for the future.

[See also: PepsiCo Adds Renewable Energy Access to Pep+]

"As one of the leading convenient food and beverage companies in the U.S., we have a responsibility to leverage our size and reach to help address the systemic barriers that too often limit or exclude diverse suppliers from developing and expanding their businesses," said Melani Wilson Smith, PepsiCo's global chief procurement officer, in a statement.  

"We've been on this journey for decades and we are committed to growing with our diverse suppliers and procuring new ones,” she added. “Working with diverse-owned businesses is one of the more important ways we can help build a more inclusive supply chain which, in turn, strengthens the communities where we operate and yields greater value for our consumers and customers."

PepsiCo, which is the No. 3 publicly owned consumer goods company, has also hired Pink Patch Group, a Black-woman-owned certification consultancy, to help with the diverse supplier certification process and remove barriers to economic advancement.

"We know that minority certification will allow diverse businesses to work with many Fortune 500 companies beyond PepsiCo," said Christina Tyson, director of supplier diversity at PepsiCo. "Hiring a third-party consultancy to assist small diverse-owned businesses with the certification process is one of several steps we're taking to drive racial equality and create systemic change in the communities we serve."  

EnsembleIQ, parent company of CGT, was recently honored by workplace evaluation firm Comparably in its “Best Leadership Teams” category for driving positive culture change.

This honor is based on ratings voluntarily and anonymously submitted to Comparably by EnsembleIQ employees about the performance of the company leadership team. Those rated included direct managers and senior leaders, who all received “A” level grades during the past 12 months.

“The leadership team is approachable and open to new suggestions and ideas. They make themselves available to the team at-large and encourage / motivate us to perform our best,” posted one employee. Another stated, “Communication is excellent! I am asked to participate in any meeting or event that can help my growth and knowledge of the company.”

“This evaluation clearly illustrates that our team members value how company leaders have created a positive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diversity of our employees,” said EnsembleIQ chief executive officer Jennifer Litterick said. 

“Prioritizing positive culture change has strengthened the core of our organization. Our leaders are providing a supportive, flexible, and development-driven environment for employees to innovate and drive growth by delivering actionable business intelligence and connections to retail, healthcare, and hospitality business professionals and solution providers,” she added.

[Read more: Creative Agency EIQ Brand Lab Wins 7 AVA Digital Awards]

Culture is an essential component of EnsembleIQ attracting top-tier talent. In addition to utilizing Comparably for cultural assessment, EnsembleIQ provides a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council with 35 people serving on three employee-driven task forces focused on Community, Cultural Competence, and Cultural Belonging. 

The company also provides two volunteer days per year and a platform to find in-person or remote volunteer opportunities that are individual or team based, monthly leadership training, a wellbeing program with a mental health focus, and a feedback culture where employees receive feedback every week. 

“Company culture is driven by the organization’s leadership team,” said Comparably CEO Jason Nazar. “Sentiments expressed by EnsembleIQ employees clearly illustrate they greatly appreciate the outstanding leadership that has driven positive change to provide a culture in which they thrive.”

EnsembleIQ previously was honored by Comparably as a Best Place to Work in Chicago, where the company is headquartered.

Jennifer Litterick, CEO of CGT’s parent company, EnsembleIQ, was recently recognized as a Change-Maker in the information services industry by the Top Women in Media & Ad Tech Awards. 

Produced by AdExchanger and Admonster, the annual awards celebrate leaders who have made an impact in the digital media and advertising technology industry. 

“It is a privilege to be recognized by AdExchanger and AdMonsters as a leader in the information services industry. EnsembleIQ’s success can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of the entire EnsembleIQ team and I am pleased to share this accomplishment with them,” said Litterick. 

Litterick will also participate as a panelist on the c-suite panel “Current State of the Industry” at the MediaGrowth Summit 2022 on June 15. Other panel participants include Paras Maniar, CEO; Bobit and John Yedinak, president and co-founder, Aging Media Network; and Craig Fuller, CEO of FreightWaves, who will moderate the session. 

“I am passionate about the advancement of the information services industry and I look forward to sharing my insights at the Summit,” said Litterick. 

Litterick was appointed CEO of EnsembleIQ to define and execute a new company vision. She  specializes in turning challenged businesses into high-performing assets by quickly assessing changing  market opportunities, talent needs, and core strategy to ensure revenue and growth objectives are  reached. 

Litterick rebuilt the EnsembleIQ executive leadership team with a focus on innovation, and she  created a performance-based culture rooted in nurturing and recruiting high-performing employees — driving company growth. 

EnsembleIQ was recently named a “Best Place to Work in Chicago” by workplace culture evaluation firm Comparably based on a survey of company employees, who also gave  Litterick high ratings for her exceptional leadership.

Marketing and creative agency EIQ BrandLab, operated by CGT’s parent company EnsembleIQ, has won seven AVA Digital Awards for digital excellence. 

The AVA Digital Awards is an international competition that recognizes excellence by creative professionals responsible for the planning, concept, direction, design, and production of digital communications. They are awarded by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP).

Each of the award-winning entries were developed in partnership with clients ranging from CPG brands to enterprise technology companies. 

Platinum Awards

• Web Interactive Capabilities: Convenience Store News and EJ Gallo, Just Chillin’: How to Get More Out of Ready-to-Drink Beverage Sales 
• Native Advertising: Progressive Grocer, Europe, Home of Cheese 
• Website, Shopper Marketing: Progressive Grocer and Anheuser-Busch, IGNITE

Gold Awards

• Website Redesign: EnsembleIQ
• Microsite: Consumer Goods Technology and SAP, Reimagine Consumer Products 
• White Paper: Consumer Goods Technology and Google, Retail and CPG Reinvented
• Web Infographics: Progressive Grocer and Bumble Bee, Seafood Future: Bumble Bee Eliminates Plastic Waste

Darren Ursino, vice president of brand engagement at EnsembleIQ said that EIQ BrandLab aspires to be “a true firebrand in business marketing.” He added the brand is honored to work with forward-thinking companies across the retail, healthcare, and hospitality industries. “We are very proud to have been recognized by the AVA Digital Awards for our work.”

Joe Territo, executive vice president of content and communications at EnsembleIQ stated that the company’s redesigned corporate website, which was created by EIQBrandLab, has been well received. 

“We are very pleased to have received this honor from the AVA Digital Awards,” he added.