Presented by Symba, #OpenUpTheWorkforce interviews feature executives advancing inclusion, diversity, and equity for the future of work. In these short audio-only episodes, host Ahva Sadeghi speaks with top leaders about what it takes to develop and implement inclusive processes.
In this episode of #OpenUpTheWorkforce, we're joined by Dave Kim, NetApp's Chief Diversity Officer. With over two decades of experience, Dave has been a trailblazer in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), influencing workplace cultures across industries. His journey includes advising startups and leading DE&I initiatives at major corporations like Dell, Electronic Arts (EA), Gilead Sciences, and Zendesk.
During our discussion, Dave shares more about his mentors and pivotal moments that shaped his path as a champion for inclusion, emphasizing the importance of driving positive change and advocating for genuine inclusivity at all levels of the workforce. Join us for an engaging and insightful conversation as Dave goes beyond theory, offering practical wisdom on cultivating a thriving and inclusive workplace culture. Tune into the podcast here here:
How to Open Up the Workforce
Dave shares that while aspirational statements about diversity and inclusion are a start, true progress requires concrete action. Linking rewards and consequences to clearly defined inclusive leadership behaviors is essential. Building a truly inclusive culture goes beyond appearances – it's about fostering genuine engagement and employee contribution. By aligning business success with company values and holding leaders accountable for promoting inclusivity, organizations can move beyond compliance towards a thriving workforce where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. This shift from aspirational statements to concrete action is the cornerstone for achieving sustainable growth and fostering a culture where inclusivity is not just a strategy, but the foundation for success.
About Dave Kim
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging continue to be a focus at NetApp and will be critical as we drive toward building and sustaining world class teams now and well into the future. A diverse workforce represents a place where differences exist, equity to meet differing needs, inclusion to ensure those different perspectives are valued, and a sense of belonging is the outcome we achieve, ensuring all feel welcome.
Dave Kim has joined NetApp as our first Chief Diversity Officer and will spearhead the global advancement of a culture where leaders and employees model diverse and inclusive behaviors that increase innovation, raise performance, improve customer satisfaction and enable bottom line financial results. In this role reporting to me, Dave will set the strategy and vision for DEI&B, including recruiting, hiring, career development and representation. He will also oversee our Social Impact program, which is equally rooted in our corporate values and key to establishing a sense of belonging and connection with our teams. Elevating this position to Chief Diversity Officer furthers the NetApp commitment and responsibility to ensure that DEI&B is woven in the fabric of who we are as a company and raises the bar on how we create systems, structures, processes, goals and initiatives that advance our business and employee experience.
Dave joins NetApp with significant experience in DEI&B as a thought leader and executive working for companies with strong track records in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion such as ZenDesk, Gilead Sciences, Electronic Arts and Dell to name a few. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Berkeley HaaS Center for Equality, Gender and Leadership, Espresa, as well as past service on the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of The Center for Child Protection and partnered closely with the United Nations HeForShe Champions. Dave will bring his leadership, history of accomplishments and passion to our DEI&B program and impact.
About NetApp
NetApp, recognized as the intelligent data infrastructure company, seamlessly merges unified data storage, integrated data services, and CloudOps solutions, thereby transforming disruptions into opportunities for every customer. Within its silo-free infrastructure, NetApp leverages observability and AI to facilitate the industry's finest data management. Distinguished as the sole enterprise-grade storage service intrinsically embedded in the world's major cloud platforms, their data storage offers unparalleled flexibility. Furthermore, their data services establish a competitive edge through enhanced cyber resilience, governance, and application agility. Complementing these offerings, their CloudOps solutions ensure continual optimization of performance and efficiency via observability and AI. Irrespective of data type, workload, or environment, NetApp empowers businesses to revolutionize their data infrastructure, unlocking limitless possibilities. For more information, visit www.netapp.com or connect with them on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
