Meet Napaporn Slattery: Advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Forefront of Innovation
Napaporn Slattery is using DEI practices to advance innovation for Henkel brands through kindness, authentic leadership, and diversity of thought. She advocates for others, whether it be through leading the development of new products and solutions for the benefit of consumers, her work on Henkel’s DEI Council, or her volunteerism with the Alzheimer’s Association.
Our purpose is what unites us at Henkel North America: Pioneers at heart for the good of generations. Our pioneering spirit is reflective of the diverse backgrounds, experiences and talents of our employees and partners. They dare to make an impact on the world by collaborating to tackle challenges, find solutions and open new perspectives.
Their contributions allow us to deliver products, services and innovations that enrich and improve everyday life. We invite you to “meet” our pioneers in our series, “Pioneers for Good.”
Introducing Napaporn
As Director Research & Development, Henkel Consumer Brands, Napaporn Slattery works with her team to find new ways to elevate and advance Henkel brands and their products. She leads a team based in Trumbull, CT where they work on the front lines of new science and technology to deliver innovative breakthroughs and insights for consumer products.
Napaporn has been a dedicated employee for the past fifteen years and remains excited about the power of innovation and the vast opportunities at Henkel.
Powering Innovation through Diversity
Finding solutions that benefit the consumer is what drives innovation and Napaporn believes leveraging the power of diversity to bring new ideas to the table creates better ones. “It’s about including every idea or perspective that we have and combining innovative problem solving to achieve ‘diversity of thought.’” Fostering synergy between the different ideas, thoughts and perspectives has proven to be successful in R&D’s process while giving each team member the opportunity to be heard.
My leadership is anchored in kindness and authenticity. To me, this is so vital to create a culture of trust and open communication, the foundation for a high-performing team. Trust also promotes courage to take risks and challenge the status quo. Taking risks naturally comes with many failures; Thomas Edison once said, ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won't work.'
Napaporn Slattery, Director Research & Development, Henkel Consumer Brands
Napaporn also serves on the North America DEI Council as the Consumer Brands Representative, where she is responsible to collaborate and develop DEI initiatives with business unit colleagues to strengthen inclusion in the workplace, in the community and in all we do. For example, she worked with Henkel’s DEI team to conduct focus groups encouraging a safe space for dialogue and collaborate with council members colleagues to develop a road map for embedding diversity of thought throughout the product development process.
Progressing Innovation in Alzheimer’s Research
Napaporn is an advocate for others around the clock. Since 2009, she and her family have been working with the Alzheimer’s Association to bring awareness to the community in honor of a family member who struggled with the disease. Her passion drove her to raise $15,000 within the past two years for the Association through Henkel’s Make An Impact on Tomorrow (MIT) program. She also volunteers her time to support the cause.
Innovation is at the heart of this work as well. “Fundraising efforts work towards attaining resources that drive innovation to identify and treat the disease early, put research into new drugs that can prolong the life of patients, prevent the disease, and find a solution to Alzheimer’s.”
Pioneering through Kindness
Reflecting on DEI, innovation, and advocacy, the thought of being a pioneer for the good of generations brings her back to the fundamental principle of kindness. Napaporn leads with empathy and humility, creating confidence with her team to be their true selves and do their best to drive success at Henkel. Trust is the foundation of everything we do, and without it, you're not going to be sustainable, and to me, that stems from kindness and authentic leadership.”
