Diversity and inclusion | Avery Dennison

Our teams - Avery Dennison — For almost three decades, Maarten Eddes has been a member of the Avery Dennison family. He’s worked in multiple departments and has focused on everything from finance to installing solar panels. Currently, he’s the diversity and inclusion manager and focuses on helping employees feel free to be themselves and embrace the differences that make us unique.

So how did you become the diversity and inclusion leader for EMENA?

I’ve worked for Avery Dennison for 27 years. Right after university, I started in a finance position and I worked in different roles, countries, regions and divisions for about 12 years. Then I moved to indirect procurement, which ranges from cars to travel and utilities, and I also dealt with renewables, like wind turbines and parabolic solar panels.

Now, I'm the diversity and inclusion leader, which is basically my third career within Avery Dennison and it's close to my heart. I'm gay and just got married last year. And when you come out as a gay man, or as anyone from the LGBTIQ community, it's not that you come out just one time – you come out every time that you meet new people, move houses, move departments, move divisions or change your work.

Last year, we started an employee resource group for the LGBTIQ community in EMENA and I've been co-chairing that with one of my colleagues in Oegstgeest, the Netherlands. I got a very positive vibe about it and I thought that if Avery Dennison would create a diversity and inclusion position, I would have to jump at it because it motivates me, gives me energy and would let me do something good for the company.

And since I was a child, I’ve been triggered by social injustice related to my Jewish background and having a mother who survived the Holocaust. I know what it means when people are ostracized, and when they are treated based on what they are, versus what they have been doing. When you feel better in your own body and mind, you will flourish in the workplace and in your life. I'm grateful that Avery Dennison is giving me this opportunity to help out and to lead us on this path.

When you feel better in your own body and mind, you will flourish in the workplace and in your life.

What excites you most about this position and what you're doing?

I think it's the help and support that I can give to minority groups, so I can make sure that people can be themselves at work and unleash their potential.

How do you define inclusion?

With diversity, it is about having a diverse team with different backgrounds. However, having a diverse team doesn’t mean you are inclusive. To be inclusive, you must listen to all parties, and make sure everyone has a say and is allowed to speak up. And with equity, you must acknowledge that everyone is different and has different needs that must be met for them to be just as successful as others.

For me, inclusion means there's a place for everyone, and we should help everyone to be heard. And as a company, we are going to be more successful if we include more people from different nationalities, different cultures and different backgrounds. There are a lot of angles.

For me, inclusion means there's a place for everyone, and we should help everyone to be heard. And as a company, we are going to be more successful if we include more people from different nationalities, different cultures and different backgrounds.

But at the end of the day, it was also a bit of luck, because once you are accepted into the Early Career Program, you’re assigned to a team and a portfolio, and I was placed in this department by chance. It worked out great though, and I am very thankful, because it has been a wonderful journey so far.

How do you think technology is going to change the future of the label industry?

I think intelligent labels are truly going to change the game for the labeling industry. I see more and more need for systems to function autonomously, and we're using labels to exchange information between different systems and between consumers. In a few years, I think labels that work with the Internet of Things and give objects a digital identity will be incredibly important for the industry. So will intelligent labels that reduce waste and promote sustainability.

I think it's good to challenge yourself to learn new things and get out of your comfort zone.

How do you keep busy when you’re not at work?

I keep myself in shape by doing yoga, painting portraits and stuff like that. And I recently started Hebrew classes, though I'm not sure what I want to do with it. I think learning any new language is really cool though, because you make different connections in your head and it's a kind of diversion from your daily life. I think it's good to challenge yourself to learn new things and get out of your comfort zone.

What's made you stay with the company for so long?

I like the fact that it’s a very international crowd, and that since it's such a big company, they're open to you trying something new. I've worked in France, Ireland and in the US on different projects. I've always felt respected and I’ve had fun in the jobs that I've done. And Avery Dennison always gave me opportunities to develop myself, grow and try other things that I was interested in.