Philip Morris International’s Mimi Kurniawan On How To Create More Inclusive Workplaces

An Interview With Rachel Kline

Encouraging every employee to own inclusion: Inclusion must be a collective effort, with each employee playing a crucial role. Our “Inclusion Starts with I” campaign emphasizes that everyone has a part in embedding inclusion into our culture.

Creating inclusive workplaces is crucial for any organization that wants to get the most out of its talent. This means creating an environment where everyone feels like they belong, has equal opportunities, is empowered to do their best work, and feels comfortable making requests and contributing ideas. In this series, we asked prominent HR and business leaders about the steps they take to create more inclusive workplaces. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mimi Kurniawan.

Mimi Kurniawan was appointed Chief Diversity Officer of Philip Morris International in July 2023, with global responsibility for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization.

Immediately prior, she served as Vice President, Operations Sustainability, from July 2022 to June 2023. From 2018 to June 2022, Mimi served as Vice President of operations, Latin America & Canada, covering some of PMI’s Middle East & Africa (MEA) manufacturing affiliates and Third-Party Manufacturing (TPM).

Mimi began her career in 1996 in Indonesia with PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna Tbk, which became majority-owned by PMI in 2005. Starting as a Management Trainee, she quickly progressed, working in planning, logistics, and procurement before being named Director, Supply Chain in 2007, Director, Manufacturing in 2010, and Director, Human Resources in 2014.

Mimi holds a degree in industrial engineering from Indonesia’s Petra Christian University.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Before we drive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

Like many in the DEI space, my career began on a different path. Nearly three decades ago, I started working as a management trainee at PT HM Sampoerna Tbk., PMI’s affiliate in Indonesia, soon after advancing from the market level in Indonesia to the regional level across Latin America and Canada, and most recently, to the global level as VP of Sustainability in our Operations function.

My journey to DEI was deeply personal, born in Palembang, Indonesia, as an ethnic Chinese woman in a majority Muslim country. This experience of dealing with identity and belonging has fueled my passion for DEI. Understanding the challenges faced by underrepresented groups, I have learned the critical importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as innovation and collaboration for a team’s — and ultimately a company’s — success, making me both humbled and eager to serve in my current role.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

While it did not feel like a funny mistake at the time, I am happy to say it is something I can laugh about many years later. I vividly remember a challenging moment early in my career when a team member told me — referring to my age — that I should be their student rather than their supervisor. As a young leader eager to build a cohesive team, the rejection was tough to handle. However, instead of letting it discourage me, I saw it as a learning opportunity that taught me not to let others define my worth, and to approach every situation with empathy. This lesson has been invaluable throughout my career, ultimately guiding me to my role as Chief Diversity Officer.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I am immensely grateful for the strength and resilience my mother demonstrated throughout our lives. I suffered the loss of my father at a young age and witnessed my mother switching from stay-at-home parent to sole earner almost overnight. Her determination to provide for us was incredibly inspiring. Eager to help pay the bills, I also worked hard and managed to complete my university degree six months early. This dedication paid off when I was selected as one of only 36 candidates from over 3,000 applicants for a Management Trainee position at Sampoerna, now an affiliate of PMI.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

It is hard to choose just one, but one of many favorite life lesson quotes I have is from Malala Yousafzai: “There will always be hurdles in life, but if you want to achieve a goal, you must continue.” This quote resonates deeply with me, especially in the context of our Voices of Inspiration campaign, which celebrates women — and their allies — who overcome challenges and inspire through action, not just words.

Growing up as a minority in Indonesia, I faced numerous challenges and instances of feeling like an outsider. Yet, like Malala, I learned the importance of perseverance, and that setbacks are part of the journey. It is this relentless determination to keep moving forward, despite the hurdles, that has shaped my career and fueled my passion for making a positive impact.

Thinking back on your own career, what would you tell your younger self?

I would advise my younger self to embrace empathy early on as a guiding principle. Understanding others’ motivations and perspectives fosters meaningful connections and strengthens relationships, which is essential both in and outside of work. By putting myself in someone else’s shoes and seeking to comprehend their actions, I learned to respond with empathy rather than react impulsively. This approach not only helped me navigate challenges but also cultivated a collaborative spirit that is crucial for driving sustainable change and fostering inclusive cultures. Embracing empathy has been transformative, allowing me to build bridges and inspire positive outcomes throughout my career.

Let’s now move to the central part of our interview. What systems do you have to ensure your workplace is as inclusive as possible?

At PMI, we have set an intention to incorporateinclusion into the core fabric of our company’s values and culture. We also set the expectation that fostering an inclusive environment isn’t the responsibility of the DEI team or the People & Culture (HR) team, but that each employee has shared accountability to put inclusion at the heart of our culture. To emphasize this point, earlier this year we launched “Inclusion Starts with I,” an employee engagement campaign to highlight that it’s up to all of us to be intentional about our actions and aware of our impact on others.

We embed inclusive behaviors through formal training (such as unconscious bias), company-wide conversations (like the Inclusion Matters Listening sessions I have been hosting), and resources (like the Inclusion Starts with I Toolkit we have created for employees to reference in their daily interactions). We are also committed to putting our principles into action through our recruiting practices and through role modeling across our leadership chain. Then we reinforce it all with a performance management system that goes beyond the ‘what’ and includes the ‘how,’ incorporating clear guidelines on how to uphold our cultural values.

Additionally, we have six global employee resource groups (ERGs) that create spaces for continuous dialogue on how our company can build a more inclusive, respectful, and supportive workforce. Our ERGs support efforts like improving gender equality (Women’s Inspiration Network), championing racial and cultural equity (EMBRACE), and fostering intergenerational understanding (advantAGE), to name a few.

Given how the world shifted in 2020 and beyond, we also wanted to evolve how we think about and measure workplace inclusivity. In 2021, PMI launched the Inclusive Future research initiative. From this, we piloted the Inclusion Net Promoter Score (iNPS) to measure inclusion and identify areas for improvement. In 2024, we introduced a more comprehensive Inclusion Index, which explores questions relating to respect, psychological safety, and inclusion advocacy. Our first results were promising, with scores above 85% for all questions, and respect and psychological safety exceeding external benchmarks by over 10 points. (Note: We do not have an external benchmark for inclusion advocacy.) We also publish our ambitions, approach, and results in our annual Integrated Report to share learnings, foster dialogue, and invite feedback.

Based on your experience and success, what are your top five tips for creating more inclusive workplaces? Please share a story or an example for each.

Creating an inclusive workplace requires a mindset change, awareness, skills and practices. The visible commitment and role modeling of senior leadership are also important. While inclusion starts with “I,” fostering an inclusive environment begins at the top. With the engagement and support of my fellow executives, here are five impactful areas we focus on:

1. Setting clear expectations on what inclusion means in practice: Defining what inclusion looks like in everyday interactions is crucial. For instance, we have identified and are actively working to eliminate behaviors that are inconsistent with our values, such as acting abrasively, speaking over others, or pushing for results without considering the impact on colleagues. By clearly outlining undesirable behaviors, we can renew our efforts to eradicate them and unlock our collective potential.
2. Having tangible tools and tactics in place: Providing practical resources helps employees and managers integrate inclusive practices into their daily routines. We have developed guidelines, toolkits, and best practices, all available on our company intranet. These tools offer actionable tips and strategies, making it easier for everyone to contribute to a more inclusive workplace.
3. Creating opportunities for dialogue: Open and honest conversations are vital for learning and growth. Our Leaders Café series, for example, brings together diverse groups of employees and senior leaders for intimate discussions. These sessions allow participants to feel safe to ask questions, share thoughts, and hear firsthand about others’ experiences, fostering a culture of openness and inspiration.
4. Measurable results: Tracking progress through measurable outcomes ensures accountability and continuous improvement. This year, we introduced a new Inclusion Index, which provides a comprehensive measurement of inclusion within our organization. This data helps us set priorities and focus our programs more effectively, guiding us toward our shared aspirations.
5. Encouraging every employee to own inclusion: Inclusion must be a collective effort, with each employee playing a crucial role. Our “Inclusion Starts with I” campaign emphasizes that everyone has a part in embedding inclusion into our culture. We also created a toolkit to support employees in incorporating inclusive practices into their daily interactions, reinforcing the message that inclusion is everyone’s responsibility.

By concentrating on these five areas — setting clear expectations, providing tangible tools, facilitating dialogue, measuring results, and encouraging ownership — organizations can create a truly inclusive workplace where every employee feels welcome, valued, and respected.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen businesses make while trying to become more inclusive? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?

The most common mistakes organizations make in their quest to foster inclusion and belonging revolve around transparency, tangibility, and inclusion itself. Let me elaborate on these points:

1. Commitments without tangible ways to operationalize them: Making commitments to DEI is only the first step. Without concrete strategies and actions to achieve these, they remain empty promises. This can be particularly damaging as it breeds cynicism and diminishes the credibility of leadership. Organizations need not only to set clear, actionable steps but also allocate the right resources to ensure these commitments translate into real, measurable progress, embedding the inclusive mindset and behaviors into their employees’ journey and organizational processes.
2. Not involving employees in the journey: Inclusion is not just a top-down mandate — it requires the active participation of everyone in the organization. When employees feel excluded from the DEI process, they are less likely to engage and contribute to a truly inclusive culture. Involving employees at all levels ensures diverse perspectives are heard and valued, fostering a sense of belonging and collective ownership of the company’s DEI goals.
3. Lack of transparency in measurement and reporting: Transparency is crucial because it builds trust and accountability. When organizations are not open about their DEI aspirations, actions, and progress, it can lead to disengagement among employees and skepticism among external stakeholders. Clear, honest communication about where the company stands and where it needs to improve fosters a culture of trust and collective effort toward a shared vision.

How do you measure the effectiveness of your DEI efforts?

Many companies aim for a gold-standard approach to DEI, which typically involves benchmarking, setting aspirations, and measuring progress. Since we began measuring diversity, we’ve doubled women’s representation in our workforce, demonstrating that what gets measured gets done.

However, not all aspects of DEI are easily quantifiable. Measuring employees’ sense of belonging and inclusion, for example, is a complex task. Several years ago, we sponsored a yearlong study by IMD Business School to develop a method for measuring inclusion. This Inclusive Future project identified six key dimensions: psychological safety, uniqueness, fairness, participation, belonging, and authenticity, focused on a central question: whether employees from underrepresented groups would recommend PMI to others from those groups. We have since piloted and refined this methodology, and use it in combination with employee wellness metrics, to accurately gauge our progress.

Are there other organizations you admire for their approach to DEI? Can you please explain why?

There are several organizations I deeply admire for their approach to DEI, because — like PMI — they view DEI as an integral part of their identity and operations, rather than a checkbox. What stands out most among them is their willingness to openly share their approach, discuss the challenges they face, and highlight their lessons learned. They understand that transparency, accountability, and a long-term commitment are essential to driving meaningful change.

I have also joined many professional organizations and taken specialized courses to connect with DEI and business leaders. These experiences have reinforced my belief that DEI is a journey, not a sprint. It requires ongoing effort, learning, and adaptation. It is about cultivating a mindset that values continuous improvement and recognizes that achieving true equity and inclusion is an evolving process.

What do you do to address Proximity Bias? How do you ensure remote workers are treated the same as onsite workers and have equal access to opportunities?

At PMI, we have a formal framework called SmartWork to guide our hybrid ways of working. By embracing flexibility in how and where work gets done, we not only support work-life balance but also enhance collaboration and innovation across our global teams. Our holistic approach also goes well beyond combating proximity bias to cultivate a culture of inclusion and belonging where every individual can thrive and contribute their best work. We offer a variety of tips, tools, and resources that empower leaders to foster an inclusive culture where all team members — regardless of their location — have equitable access to opportunities. We also educate and engage people managers and employees regularly through initiatives like the Inclusion Starts with I toolkit, along with actionable guidelines for hosting inclusive meetings, or inclusive leadership practices, just to name a few. These help employees at all levels recognize and value diverse perspectives, ensuring that remote colleagues feel fully integrated into team dynamics.

We are very blessed to have some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this.

I — like many DEI professionals — deeply admire the work of Brené Brown. In particular, I believe her research related to vulnerability has profoundly impacted the way we understand human connection. In a society that too often places high value on perfection, her work teaches us that embracing vulnerability is essential for fostering genuine, meaningful connections and creating inclusive environments where people feel safe to express their authentic selves.

Brown’s work resonates with me on not just a professional level — after all, it is my job to understand human connection — but personally, too. Like most people, I have experienced periods of intense struggle throughout my life. I have been wrong and made mistakes. There have been times that I have felt embarrassed about who I am, and where I come from. From my experiences, I have learned to lean into these feelings, accept them, and embrace them. Just as Brown suggests, there is power in vulnerability. To have the opportunity to discuss with her how it shapes us and how we can harness it not just for the benefit of ourselves, but for others, too, would be such a special experience.

And if you have yet to listen to her 2010 TED Talk called “The power of vulnerability,” I urge you to give it a watch.

How can our readers further follow your work?

Please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn here.

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!