“Arkema has a strong corporate culture that our employees appreciate.”
Karine Goudy, Arkema’s Talent Vice President, offers her perspective on what makes the Group so attractive: a strong commitment to support, diversity, inclusion, caring and high standards. These are values that most employees identify with and that form the DNA of the Group’s HR approach.
How would you define Arkema’s employer brand?
Arkema is an international player that has a lower profile than some major industrial brands, particularly because most of our products are not directly intended for the public. This makes us more “low-key”.
But those who know us see us as innovative and committed, rooted in sustainable development, with a clear strategic vision—a Group that takes things seriously and professionally.
I believe it is this combination of perceptions that makes us highly attractive to talent.
What guides Arkema’s talent policy?
We support our employees throughout their careers through proactive training, coaching and mentoring programs, and an attractive internal transfer policy.
The goal is to enable everyone to grow, develop their own identity, and build a fulfilling career within the Group.
What does it mean for Arkema to gain the Top Employer international certification?
We have received this certification from the Top Employers Institute for several years, in France and nine other countries, covering 82% of our workforce. This highly significant indicator spans the entire employee lifecycle, from recruitment to career development via compensation, benefits and the work environment. Certification is reevaluated annually, and the standards are raised regularly.
Nevertheless, our results continue to improve, demonstrating the alignment between what we claim and what our employees actually experience.
Above all, it is recognition of the strength and consistency of our HR practices in key areas such as quality of life at work, diversity and inclusion, and career management. The fact that we achieve this year after year shows that our approach is built to last.
It is both a strong signal of credibility for candidates and a source of pride for our teams. It is also a tool for continuous improvement that allows us to benchmark ourselves against the best companies and identify areas where we can still make progress.
How do you measure employee engagement?
We have a highly informative tool, the Arkema Cares internal survey, which we have been conducting since 2021 among all Group employees.
The participation rate is 80%, which is remarkable for an industrial company, especially considering that it is a digital-only survey. This shows that employees want to have their voices heard and to contribute directly to improving the Group.
What do the Arkema Cares results tell you?
First, a strong sense of commitment: 84% of employees say they are happy working at Arkema Nearly eight out of ten would recommend Arkema as an employer.
We consistently outperform industry benchmarks, sometimes by ten points or more! All these indicators confirm that employees are loyal to their company.
*Figures from the Arkema Cares 2025 study
You’ve also recently been working on the Employee Value Proposition (EVP). What have you found?
We launched this project to help us understand what makes Arkema unique as an employer. We surveyed more than 230 employees worldwide.
The project helped us identify the key factors that make the Group attractive: they offer a number of good reasons to join and stay at Arkema. First, there is a collaborative and supportive culture experienced on a daily basis. This is complemented by a rigorous yet stimulating performance culture.
"Employees are the Group’s best ambassadors."
Other strengths include career opportunities and internal transfers, attractive benefits and a safe, high-quality work environment. Last, a compelling reason to be part of the Arkema project — one that is becoming increasingly evident—is the pride in contributing to the development of innovative, sustainable products.
This sense of pride in belonging is reflected in the dedication of the employees themselves, who are the Group’s best ambassadors.
Arkema has made inclusion and diversity part of its core values. What are the key indicators of progress?
We are implementing a proactive policy that is yielding results. In five years, the proportion of women in senior management has risen from 23% to 31%. Having surpassed our initial goal, we have set a new target of 35% women in senior management by 2030.
Among executives, we have gone from 17% to 27% over the same period. We also ensure that we take action at the recruitment stage: 40% of executive hires are now women.
"These results are particularly encouraging."
In an industrial sector where women remain underrepresented in scientific and technical fields, these results are particularly encouraging.
The momentum is being driven by strong commitment across the Group, led by our CEO and a Global Diversity & Inclusion Committee with representatives from all regions of the world, as well as by external partnerships such as the one established with UN Women France.
Being included in the Financial Times’ Diversity Leaders is proof that our policy of promoting diversity and gender balance is achieving real results. But this is not a given: we are improving our results year after year and setting ambitious goals for ourselves.
In your opinion, what is Arkema’s greatest strength as an employer?
Without a doubt, its corporate culture. It is a demanding culture, focused on performance, but also deeply collaborative and supportive. Our people know they can count on one another.
In an uncertain economic and geopolitical environment, this trust, combined with team spirit and solidarity, is a considerable strength. It allows employees to give their best, to collectively tackle the challenges we face, and to remain committed over the long term. This rare chemistry retains talent and attracts new talent and largely explains the Group’s strength and appeal.
