Leveraging Diversity and Inclusion Training to Transform Culture: A Praxair Case Study

Managerial training has become a key tenet to transforming Praxair's culture. Under Vanessa Abrahams-John’s leadership, Praxair has created a four-pronged strategy to embed and enhance Diversity and Inclusion in its core culture and values, one of which is enhancing managerial capabilities. Praxair has employed various training formats, content and audiences to embed diversity and inclusion with the corporate training programs. The “Managing Differences” program is now a key component of leadership training, and every manager is required take “Unconscious Bias” training.   

Praxair uses the Everything DiSC® Work of Leaders assessment in its training. Nancy Urell of Career Corner Associates, will share how Work of Leaders is used to support Praxair’s goals.   Everyone attending the May 14^th meeting will receive a complimentary code to take the Work of Leaders profile after the meeting.   

About the speakers: 
Vanessa Abrahams-John, Executive Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion for Praxair, Inc., leads the development and execution of global strategies to enhance and leverage diversity at Praxair and foster an inclusive culture that drives innovation and business success.  Additionally, she is responsible for Talent Acquisition to promote best-in-class diversity and inclusion practices throughout global recruitment and hiring processes. 
  
Abrahams-John joined Praxair in 2007 as Senior Legal Counsel.  Prior to that, she practiced corporate law in New York City and Delaware, and served as an adjunct professor at Pace University.  

Abrahams-John earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario, Canada and a law degree from the Howard University School of Law, Washington D.C. She  serves on the Executive Leadership Council and the New York City Bar Committee on Diversity & Inclusion.  In 2014, she was recognized as “Diversity & Inclusion Leader of the Year” by the Southern Connecticut Chapter of SHRM and, in 2017, was named one of the “Top 25 Black Women ” by the Network Journal. 
  
Praxair, Inc., headquartered in Danbury, CT, is a leading industrial gas company in North and South America and one of the largest worldwide. Praxair produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. 
  
Nancy Urell is President of Career Corner Associates.  Nancy has partnered with Praxair to incorporate the Everything DiSC® assessments into their training and team development programs.  Nancy is a Past President and former board member of ATD Southern Connecticut and an authorized John Wiley Everything DiSC® partner. She is also an authorized partner for Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team and the Director of Corporate Learning Services for the Manhattanville College School of Business.

Glean some tips on diversity and inclusion from this real-life example!