inclusion and diversity

Ashland’s purpose is to responsibly solve for a better world.

Ashland believes one powerful and necessary way to live that purpose is to proactively strengthen both the diversity of the workforce and the inclusiveness of the culture.

Ashland’s inclusion and diversity (I&D) vision is to cultivate a diverse, safe, and inclusive environment where every employee is respected, valued, and has an equal opportunity to develop, succeed, and feel heard.

The I&D mission is to attract, nurture, and sustain a global and inclusive workforce, where differences drive innovative solutions and business outcomes.

Ashland achieves the I&D vision and mission through five key priorities from which we have built global and local objectives and initiatives to advance our progress:

In 2021, Ashland set long-term goals to ensure a sustained focus on building a diverse workforce and inclusive culture.

We are making great incremental progress as detailed below, and recognize that there is more work to do:

In early 2022, Ashland established a global ecosystem of accountability beginning with CEO and board of directors oversight of a senior-level committee made up of global and regional leaders who drive focus on the initiatives that will build momentum across the entire organization. The global committee’s role is to set the strategy, govern, and support execution of both global and regional inclusion and diversity efforts in a way that ensures local relevance and commitment. The team meets quarterly to review progress, challenges, and support needed.

In 2022, the company's board of directors is 45% diverse, including females and diverse males. Demographics of the executive committee include 33% women and 45% who identify as ethnically diverse individuals. 

Across Ashland, there are approximately 70% male employees and approximately 30% female employees. In the U.S., approximately 26% of its employees self identify as ethnically diverse. 

pay equity

Ashland is committed to paying our employees equitably regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, or veteran status. To that end, we review each compensation process (merit increases, adjustments, promotions, and recognition) with our leaders to ensure that employees are rewarded appropriately. During 2022, we also conducted a global review of our pay equity and practices to ensure we were paying equitably and we were pleased to find only a few corrections were needed. We will continue to refine our education and training to ensure we continue to provide equitable compensation.

The commitment to I&D at Ashland starts at the top and cascades throughout the global organization, ensuring that the focus is steadfast and that progress is achieved. The company is proud of what it has accomplished in 2022, and understands that there is still more work to be done for both the short-term evolution of inclusion and belonging at Ashland and the long-term achievement of the 2031 goals.

employee resource groups

The employee-led global teams focus on educating, connecting, and positively impacting the workforce.

Another cornerstone of the I&D ecosystem and strategy is Ashland’s employee resource groups (ERGs).

While Ashland plans to continue to expand the reach of existing ERGs and add additional networks to the team, the company has established two primary groups who are actively leading impactful knowledge and experience sharing events, influencing policies, and creating a sense of community and belonging.