2023 Impact Awards winner: Nestlé Canada

Diversity, equity and inclusion have always been important to Nestlé Canada. Its DE&I committee has more than 100 employees with a strong vision for the organization —to create a work environment where every employee feels that they belong. 

As part of the company’s mission to foster open and candid conversations about diverse issues, its DE&I committee incorporated the Courageous Conversations program. In 2022, more than 300 employees participated in these sessions, designed to provide hands-on diversity training and enable frank discussions around discrimination and inequity.

In February 2022, the company announced a two-year partnership between its KitKat brand with local Toronto 2SLGBTQIA+ organization, Friends of Ruby. The collaboration includes financial support of the organization’s mental health programs and the release of limited-edition KitKat bars through key moments, such as Chosen Family Day and Pride month.

In March 2023, KitKat Canada developed a KitKat Iftar Bar, in celebration of breaking fast during Ramadan (Iftar). The brand partnered with Muslim content creators to trial 30-piece KitKat Iftar bars, available only through limited giveaways. It was a moment of pride for Nestlé Canada employees and an opportunity to learn from the experience to continue to celebrate meaningfully with Canada’s Muslim community in the future.