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Nestlé CEO and Diversity and Inclusion Sponsor Messages

ceo message

I am proud to present Nestlé’s first Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (Reflect RAP), voicing our commitment to strengthening our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

Our values at Nestlé are rooted in respect; respect for ourselves, for each other, for diversity and for the future.

Wherever we operate, Nestlé is committed to building resilient communities, with a focus on supporting young people to navigate and overcome barriers to employment. Underpinning our work is a drive to promote human rights wherever we operate. This ensures that the communities we are helping to build are fair, sustainable and provide dignified livelihoods for all.

This lies at the heart of formalising our commitment to deeper respect for First Nations peoples.

We acknowledge that the land on which we operate belongs to the First Peoples of Australia, and we value their custodianship of 65,000 years.

At the same time, we cannot ignore the great disparity that exists between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non Indigenous Australians in critical areas such as life expectancy, health, educational opportunities and employment. The need for action is clear.

We began this journey in 2010 as we created the Nestlé Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth Development Program (AYDP) as a step towards reconciliation. Recognising the importance of educating women in creating resilient communities, we ran programs in partnership with Girls Academy which supported the development of over 11,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls.

In doing this, we realised that we needed to commit to listening, learning, and walking alongside First Nations peoples. This included consulting with Elders to ensure that our actions were both respectful and impactful. This shaped our programs: for example, helping girls develop skills to plan, shop and create simple, nutritious meals involved not only working with the girls, but bringing them together with their mothers and other important women in their lives.

At the same time, just as the program developed the girls, so we developed alongside them. Our partnership with Girls Academy brought us closer to First Nations’ communities and has forged a stronger understanding of First Nations peoples within our business, and across our 4000-strong workforce in Australia.

Our Reflect RAP represents our vision to enhance the quality of life for all in support of a just, equitable and unified future for our nation. We hope that what we start here contributes to growing action towards reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider Australian community.

Sandra Martinez
Chief Executive Officer
Nestlé Australia

Martinez

We value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities and recognise their connection to the land on which we live and operate.

It is my vision that we all come together, in the spirit of unity, and embrace this new chapter in our reconciliation journey. We have a long history of supporting First Nations peoples and our RAP will build upon our existing foundations.

My hope is that all employees will embrace our plan, as it guides our thinking and efforts, ensuring that respect is deeply rooted in our everything we do. We are proud to be on the precipice of this new chapter and are hopeful for the journey ahead.

Andrew Lawrey
Sales Director
Diversity and Inclusion Sponsor
Nestlé Australia

Andrew_Lawrey