Two weeks ago Bartalks contacted La Marzocco to ask if there was an update on the steps their CEO, Guido Bernardinelli, had said they would take in response to serious racism allegations.
On July 31, we were contacted by their Communications Manager who informed us of some company updates including an Instagram story and a dedicated microsite.
The Instagram post was in the form of an open letter which explained the steps they had taken since the incident first came to their attention. It is available here https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17875524730811967/
The dedicated microsite is more of a statement of their support of equal opportunities and racial equality. It’s available here https://international.lamarzocco.com/en/inclusion-diversity/
The two key sections in the site are:
- Current Initiatives
- Long-term Roadmap
The following sections are copied from the website for convenience.
current initiatives
- Institutionalizing a transversal committee called People & Culture aimed at cultivating La Marzocco’s culture and value set
- Establishing an agreement with local organizations and schools to create job opportunities for young adults struggling with economic and/or social hardship
- Employing individuals seeking political asylum
- Enabling educational opportunities through scholarships
- Supporting colleagues struggling with health conditions
- Offering legal support for staff who have faced issues with the law
long-term roadmap
We have recently partnered with an external agent to assist in addressing our Inclusion & Diversity practices from a cultural, societal, historical, and economic standpoint – and how that translates into processes and procedures within our organization. This work has resulted in a long-term roadmap aiming to reinforce and enhance the culture of diversity within the company, which translates in the following actions:
- an assessment, comprising a cultural audit and a formalization of the Inclusion & Diversity program
- institution of Inclusion & Diversity councils
- policy definition and execution
- design and delivery of related tools
- training on overarching and specific topics also to include process awareness, unconscious bias and effective intercultural communication
Is La Marzocco Doing Enough?
Someone once said that it’s not what you tell someone that’s important, it’s what you tell them that they believe which counts.
Under different circumstances, I think a statement from such a reputable company would be enough, but these are quite exceptional allegations that must leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that real actions are taking place behind the rhetoric.
Put simply, I don’t think the statements go far enough in terms of transparency. There is a visible lack of detail in the plan. For example;
- What is the name of the external consultancy the company hired to conduct the internal review – are they experienced and qualified?
- There is no date set on the ‘Current Initiatives’ section on the website. We’ve all seen out of data websites with the words ‘current’ or ‘coming soon’ that have been long forgotten.
- No detail on the training program. How many people will attend? how often will it be run? Who is running them?
- What are the companies objectives and what policy changes are being made
We will keep an eye on the page for updates to see if it is maintained.
Does La Marzocco Have Board Diversity?
I trained as a Non-Executive Director with the Financial Times some years back, and we were trained to identify when a Board was dysfunctional. That is to say, a Board of Directors that doesn’t operate as it should.
So, with this in mind, I asked La Marzocco whether they had a diverse board to ensure different views were represented. Companies, can either see diversity as a threat or an opportunity.
Many unfortunately see it as a threat to a chummy all-male Director dynamic. If you want to read some good books on the quandaries faced by Directors and how different Non-Execs deal with all sorts of issues, I recommend the Director’s Dilemmas book you can get on Amazon.
Hiring people just because of their race, sex or colour, and not because they’re the best person for the job is positive discrimination which does nothing for anyone, least of all the minority appointed.
However, finding diverse points of view that can challenge in a constructive, non-threatening way, is more likely to happen when you have people from different backgrounds.
In this spirit, I fired up a few platforms including LinkedIn and browsed the 90 people listed as employees for La Marzocco. I was looking for Directors. I discovered a couple of things.
Their Board Chairman appears to be Tim O’Connor based out of San Francisco. Tim was previously President at the Speciality Coffee Association of America until 2012.
Guido Bernadinelli is the CEO, and a number of other country Directors appear to be listed, although I do not believe these are main Board members.
Andy Di Donato is the Brand Director and Lorenzo Carboni and Paulo Giribuola, are both listed Sales Directors, so I’m guessing these may not be Board positions.
I may have missed some, but there seems to be a pattern of white, middle-aged men. Mostly Italian. If La Marzocco’s Board is made up entirely of white males it’s not particularly extraordinary, but if they’re seriously thinking about changing their culture, then it’s something they should be considering.
At Bartalks, I’m outnumbered by women, and there is a range of ethnic backgrounds. On the other hand, I sit on the board of another company where it’s me and three other white males, albeit different ethnicities.
Our Finnish partner has already suggested we find a woman to join us in order to bring a bit of balance to the meetings. In that industry, we will find it a challenge to find someone with the qualifications and correct dynamic.
Perhaps La Marzocco can consider if they would benefit from introducing diversity at on the Board that would inject a new dynamic and contribute positively to all board matters.
