Driving water transformation through the power of diversity and inclusion

Patrick Decker, President & CEO, Xylem

 IWD 2020

At Xylem, we have the opportunity of a lifetime to solve water and smart infrastructure challenges – and we know the best solutions will come from diverse teams using their talent and passion to help make water and other critical natural energy resources more accessible, affordable and safer for people and communities around the world.

We know that inclusion and diversity, and the strong cross-section of ideas and perspectives it enables, is vital to driving innovation, and we are committed to championing women and other underrepresented groups in our society at Xylem and across the water industry. Today women hold only 24% of top management positions at our company. So we know we have much more work to do to, and we are dedicated to addressing that with a goal to achieve 50% gender parity in leadership positions in the next 5 years.

Internally, our Women’s Network connects women and men throughout our company, creating a global dialogue to raise awareness and identify ways to advance diversity and inclusion. In addition, we are fostering a culture of work where all employees feel respected and feel they have an equal opportunity to grow and advance.

Xylem is also promoting diversity and inclusion across the water sector. We are initiating opportunities at events we sponsor to connect with women across our industry and convene conversations on how we can come together to advance women in water. We believe these innovative open dialogues will help spark change for gender balance.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we stand committed to #EachforEqual - and to harnessing the power of diversity and inclusion to achieve a more water and natural resource secure and sustainable world.