The Coca-Cola Company

Outlining Our Legal Division's Diversity Strategy



March 24, 2006 edition

Geoffrey J. Kelly, senior vice president and general counsel of The Coca-Cola Company, discussed the value of diversity in the legal profession during his recent keynote luncheon address at the National Bar Association Corporate Counsel Conference in Birmingham, Alabama.

The National Bar Association, the nation‘s oldest and largest association of African-American lawyers, judges and law professors, was created in 1925 as a refuge for lawyers who, at the time, were not allowed to join the American Bar Association.

Addressing an audience of more than 300 conference attendees -- most of whom were in-house lawyers and major law firm partners -- Mr. Kelly noted that while U.S. law firms have made significant strides in recent decades to provide opportunities for minorities, there is still room for improvement.

"The genius of diversity is that it vaults us all to a world without boundaries… a world where institutional cultural IQ increases and ideas, innovative thinking and execution improve," he told the audience. "How can a homogenous profession ever provide optimal service to a diverse business world?"

A 2005 study from the National Association of Law Placement revealed that only 4 percent of partners in the top 250 U.S. law firms were minority.

Mr. Kelly, a 35-year veteran of the Coca-Cola system, reflected on his travels to nearly all of 200+ countries in the Company‘s global territory."I have witnessed the effects of hunger, poverty, drought, bigotry and disease," he said. "More importantly, I have witnessed the profound impact of the Company‘s commitment to the development of local communities. These experiences with the Company in the U.S. and around the world have heightened my cultural sensitivity and, honestly, make me proud to be a part of the Coca-Cola family."

He continued: "It is because of these experiences -- because I know the real Coca-Cola system -- that I was very disappointed and embarrassed by the discrimination lawsuit that was brought against the Company in the late 1990s." He said the suit revealed a glaring disconnect between how the Company saw itself and how it was perceived by some of its employees.

Every year for the past four years, an independent Task Force has submitted a comprehensive assessment of the Company‘s progress toward specific Human Resources goals. The 2005 report commended the Company‘s "many achievements and works-in-progress" in key areas like management, staffing, compensation, diversity education/strategy, equal employment opportunity, problem resolution, career development, succession planning and mentoring.

Chairman and CEO Neville Isdell has commented publicly on the Company‘s two-pronged approach to cultivating diverse leadership, which involves boosting the system‘s "cultural IQ" and becoming a premier destination for global talent.

"I have a similar vision of what our Legal Division can and should be," said Mr. Kelly, referring to the 150 lawyers who are entrusted with protecting the iconic global brand. "Simply put, we aspire to be the world‘s pre-eminent corporate legal function -- a destination for stellar global talent who also possess world-class cultural intelligence… Our mission is to move from compliance to commitment, and making diversity a competitive advantage for our organization."

Mr. Kelly cited the Legal Division‘s recent accomplishments, including the Street Law and Summer Law Intern initiatives, a robust pro-bono program, and last year‘s recognition by the Commercial Law Section for ongoing work with the National Bar Association. ”This award is particularly meaningful -- not because it denotes having reached a goal, but rather because it serves as an affirmation that we are on the right path,“ he added. ”But we can -- and will -- do more.“

He outlined three ways the Company is pursuing inclusive leadership in a global economy. The first is a formal evaluation for outside counsel, which will require existing partner law firms to sign a statement affirming their commitment to diversity. The division is also developing tools to measure law firm performance against key diversity metrics.

Secondly, the division‘s outreach program will double its efforts to seek diversity opportunities through affinity organizations such as the National Bar Association.

The third element involves rewarding success. Each year beginning in 2007, the Legal Division will present a Living our Values Award to the firm that best demonstrates a commitment to diversity through creative and innovative solutions.

"These initiatives are just a launch pad for the development of new programs, initiatives and drivers over time," concluded Mr. Kelly. "We must constantly ask ourselves how we‘re doing in relation to our peers, if our division‘s workforce reflects the diverse community that is our consumer base, and if our work environment fosters diversity as a source of strength and an enabler of peak performance. This work is ongoing, and we have made great strides over the past five years… but we can and will continue."