Henkel

Alena Nagornyak is a seasoned HR professional with over 20 years of experience. She showcases her expertise across diverse geographies and multiple HR functions. Known for fostering positive workplace cultures, she consistently implements HR solutions that align with strategic organisational goals. Throughout her professional journey, Nagornyak demonstrated a deep passion for business, people development and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Her commitment to mentoring young professionals further underscores her dedication to nurturing talent and promoting inclusivity within the workplace.

Recognising Alena Nagornyak’s leadership in driving HR excellence, this exclusive interview explores her insights on the DEI strategies for hiring and retaining talents with real-life examples, recent endeavours such as implementing upskilling programmes and lessons learned from leadership philosophy. 

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At A Glance 

● Our diverse and inclusive work environment boosts engagement, morale, collaboration and productivity.

● Our global rollout of an inclusion upskilling programme, starting with the executive leadership team, addresses specific challenges and promotes diverse leadership.

● We developed four leadership commitments that we call the pillars of our leadership philosophy.

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Transforming Business through DEI: An Insider’s Perspective 

I truly believe that the latest developments in DEI services within HR have the potential to elevate and profoundly address the challenges our business is currently facing. When we embrace DEI and weave it into the fabric of our organisation, it can be extremely transformative. Think about it. We are creating a work environment where every employee, regardless of their background, feels valued and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work daily; it's like rocket fuel for engagement and morale. People are more invested, more collaborative and more productive. They go above and beyond because they know their unique contributions are appreciated. That's the kind of energy and teamwork that propels businesses forward.

Another important aspect is enhancing talent acquisition and retention. Candidates are drawn to organisations that don't just discuss diversity and inclusion, but factor it into every fibre of their daily interactions. They want to see it reflected in leadership, policies and the day-to-day employee experience.

From my experience, when approached by external head-hunters offering positions, I first check the leadership team's profile on their website. I'm not inclined to consider the company if I see a lack of diversity in the leadership team. Only companies genuinely committed to diversity—bringing together people from different backgrounds, including gender, ethnicity, age and other elements—are truly attractive. Because when people feel like they truly belong, they're more likely to stick around and grow with the company.

However, the benefits go beyond HR metrics. Having a diverse team, with all different perspectives and life experiences in the mix, catalyses innovation. We become better problem-solvers and better decision-makers. That's how diversity translates into bottom-line results.

So yes, I wholeheartedly believe that HR's work to embed DEI is not a "nice to have." It's a strategic imperative. And when we get it right, everyone wins—our people, our customers, our communities and our company as a whole. 

Recent Endeavours: Highlighting Key DEI Initiatives at Henkel 

At Henkel, we have various programmes centred around diversity and inclusion. When we talk about diversity, we are not just looking at one dimension, such as gender; that’s just one of the pillars. We also focus on LGBTQ+, ethnicity and generations.

Consider the Pride Month celebrations, for instance. We did proudly raise the flag across our UK and Ireland sites. But for me, it’s not about celebrating once a year and making a LinkedIn post. It’s about living and breathing inclusivity every single day.

In the UK and Ireland, we have a DEI Council, an informal committee comprising people from various departments. This council is owned and managed by the business itself, not by HR. The council includes individuals passionate about different aspects of diversity, forming subgroups or subcommittees. We have one subcommittee focused on gender, launching various related events.

Another subcommittee is centred around culture and ethnicity and we recently had a fantastic Black History Month campaign highlighting Black people's history and achievements. We also have a committee focused on LGBTQ+ topics, so that we keep this topic a conversational point throughout the year. When initiatives come from within, they have immense power and the DEI Council is just one example.

Another example is our global rollout of an inclusion upskilling programme. We partnered with an external consultancy to develop this customised journey, addressing specific challenges within our company. This programme provides insights into why DEI matters, identifies hidden barriers to inclusion and teaches how to become a DEI change agent. We started with the executive leadership team, conducting a workshop on inclusive leadership, which was very successful and insightful. Now, we’re rolling it out across the organisation.

We also have many other initiatives, such as mentorship programmes for women, partnerships with external organisations, support for women in tech and hackathons for women.

These DEI initiatives showcase how we ensure that it's not just a flash in the pan, but a sustained, transformative force for our people and our business. 

Crafting Effective Leadership: Insights into My Guiding Principle 

Several years ago, we asked ourselves, “What do we truly expect from our leaders? What do we want to see more of, and what do we want to leave behind?”

To get to the heart of it, we launched this comprehensive analysis. We sat down with board members, senior leaders and frontline employees across different regions to understand what they need from our leaders.

As a result, we developed four leadership commitments that we call the pillars of our leadership philosophy. These commitments are: We act as entrepreneurs, we collaborate as a strong team, we develop people with passion, and we own our results. When I think about these words—collaboration, entrepreneurship, people development and owning results—they strongly represent our leadership ethos and strive to make these tangible and concrete.

We even defined the do’s and don’ts for each aspect. For example, we outlined behaviours we expect to see, such as teamwork and innovative thinking and those we don’t want to see, such as silo working, focusing only on individual results or repeating the same processes without challenging the status quo.

This clear articulation of our leadership philosophy helps us maintain a cohesive team and ensures that our values are consistently reflected in our actions and decisions. 

Advice to Peers: Immerse Yourself in the Business for True Impact 

‘Understand the business. Truly, deeply understand it.’ This simple yet profound truth is my advice to HR peers, and I always emphasise it with my team.

We can't be siloed off in our own world, focused solely on HR processes and policies. We need to be fully immersed in the reality of our organisation—what we do, why we do it and how we create value. Only when we fully grasp this comprehensive understanding can we speak the same language as the business leaders and effectively contribute to creating value through the power of people.

This is one of the very strong and key themes to embrace in HR.