Farnaz Ranjbar

Ranjbar is a dynamic leader with a background in law, executive search, and corporate consulting. Born in Iran and raised in the UK, she began in international commercial law before shifting to the corporate world. After building her search career in Dubai, she joined DHL in 2008, where she spent 14 years leading culture and performance initiatives. She launched the award-winning ‘Certified International Specialist’ program and drove efforts in engagement, recognition, and diversity—helping DHL become a Best Workplace globally. Her strength lies in building inclusive, high-performing cultures that boost business and employee success.

Recognizing Ranjbar’s visionary leadership and her excellence in HR and DEI initiatives, this exclusive interview delves into invaluable insights on strategic recognition programs and employee engagement initiatives that lead to employee satisfaction and business success.

● Diversity, equity and inclusion hold little value without a clear plan and collective commitment. I believe in action over words.

● Greater gender diversity has strengthened our organization and this shift has led to tangible business improvements for the organization.

● Our approach is holistic, addressing each level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to ensure comprehensive employee motivation. We develop programs that enhance engagement, satisfaction and retention

Diversity at the Heart of Organization

Talking about something without taking any action is meaningless. Many people discuss diversity, equity and inclusion, but without an articulated plan that everyone supports, it holds very little value. This has been my approach to everything in life—action over words.

One initiative I would love to highlight is the ‘Coats for All,’ a branded program at Coats. Across different countries, people see signs celebrating the program, with employees standing by them and taking pictures. It all comes down to thinking globally while acting locally.

“Success starts with truly listening to customers or employees and understanding their needs. Our global recognition program is a testament to this, providing fairness, transparency and a structured way to celebrate achievements across all regions”

For example, we celebrate different cultural and awareness events worldwide. Pride Week is hugely popular in some regions but not as widely recognised in others. To address this, we have created a toolkit that provides a global framework while allowing each country to tailor activities to their local culture. This approach has been incredibly successful—you will find people worldwide engaged, celebrating diversity and recognising important topics like Autism Awareness, Children’s Month and International Day of Education.

We are also committed to meaningful inclusion. We actively integrate people with special abilities into our workforce. Their contributions are invaluable and we have many success stories of them thriving within our company. You will even see them participating in our diversity celebrations, reinforcing our belief that inclusion benefits everyone.

Another initiative we are proud of is ‘Coats for Her,’ which focuses on gender diversity. At Coats, we already have substantial diversity in ethnicity and global representation, but gender diversity has been challenging. To address this, we launched a structured peer program to increase female leadership. This includes a strategy, a mentoring program, measurable targets and all the necessary elements to ensure real progress.

The results speak for themselves—we have increased female representation from 20 percent to 31 percent in just two years. More importantly, this shift has led to tangible business improvements. The impact is clear. Greater gender diversity has strengthened our organisation and people take pride in our accomplishments.

Happy Employers Make Organizations Successful

Success begins with listening to the customer’s voice and understanding their needs. The same principle applies to employees—what do they need to thrive? Our organisation prioritises this by conducting two annual surveys: one through Great Place to Work and another via our internal communications.

We have been effectively identifying and responding to employee needs. For example, multiple surveys revealed a desire for greater recognition. In response, my team and I developed a structured global recognition program featuring eight awards. This initiative is impactful, consistent and certificated, ensuring alignment across all regions. People value fairness and transparency and this program provides a framework for recognition. As a result, we have seen a significant improvement in our recognition scores.

Another successful initiative is Appreciation Week, a simple yet effective way to foster a culture of appreciation. During this week, every employee worldwide receives a token of gratitude from their manager. We provide a central toolkit with branding and implementation guidelines to support this, ensuring a cohesive yet locally adaptable experience. The execution varies by region— some offices organise pizza gatherings, while others bring ice cream trucks, with managers personally serving employees. These tailored approaches create meaningful engagement while reinforcing a global culture of appreciation.

Our approach is holistic. We address each level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to ensure comprehensive employee motivation. For every aspect of the employee experience, we develop programs that enhance engagement, satisfaction and retention.

The results speak for themselves. Our employee satisfaction rate stands at 90 percent, placing us among the top 25 best workplaces in the world. In 2023, we were also recognised as the best manufacturing and production company globally. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to fostering an exceptional workplace where employees feel valued, motivated and proud to be part of our journey

Key Advice for Aspiring Leaders

One should genuinely listen to people rather than assume we already know their needs. Too often, leaders sit in their ivory towers, developing well-intentioned programs and strategies without directly engaging with those they impact. The key is to listen.

I prioritise spending time on the shop floor and engaging with employees firsthand. I also travel frequently, visiting different countries and sitting down with supervisors, the most critical figures in any organisation. This is especially important in environments with a sizeable frontline workforce. Being present, listening to their insights and understanding their challenges is essential for making meaningful decisions.

Ultimately, effective solutions should benefit both employees and the business. A thriving workforce leads to increased profitability—happy employees drive success.