Trailblazing Women in STEM: Spotlight on Melissa Dietz
In celebration of International Women's Day, we spotlight Melissa Dietz. Recently recognized by the Manufacturing Institute through the Women MAKE Awards, Melissa is a key member of the Imerys Americas Leadership team.
Melissa Dietz's career, grounded in chemical engineering and elevated by an MBA from Wharton, epitomizes strategic innovation and operational excellence.
Currently sponsoring the inventory initiative within a significant cash optimization project in North America that is projected to realize substantial savings in the following years, she is working to enhance the company’s financial position. Additionally, her collaborative work with her team to refine internal processes has yielded impressive results, notably a 10% reduction in quoting time. "My role at Imerys presents an invaluable chance to positively shape the business" Melissa explains.
Melissa’s community engagement is also as profound as it is impactful. Melissa enjoys mentoring young students in essential skills like math and reading. As a mental health advocate and President of the Board for Mental Health America of Georgia, her contributions helped see the enactment of the Mental Health Parity Act in Georgia. "My community work, particularly in mental health, is deeply rewarding," she states, highlighting the interplay between corporate success and societal welfare.
At Imerys, Dietz actively supports and champions women’s roles, as part of the senior leadership team, working to drive toward gender equity.
A focus on gender diversity reflects the wider ambitions of the Group. Imerys’ CEO, Alessandro Dazza, signed the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles for Imerys, in 2022.“We commit Imerys to take bold steps to advance gender equality in our workplace, marketplace, and community and accelerate our efforts to create a more gender-inclusive and equal organization aligned with our long-term ambition,” reinforces Dazza.
By 2025, Imerys is committed to increasing the number of women in senior manager roles to 30% and in manager, expert, and professional roles to 35%.
Imerys minerals are found in over thirty industrial sectors, serving as essential ingredients in a broad range of applications—from cosmetics and construction to energy transition initiatives. In these fields, regulations and client expectations are increasingly stringent regarding environmental protection and health standards. Our goal is to help our clients get the most out of our solutions by enhancing their positive contributions to society and responsibly managing any potential negative effects throughout their entire life cycle.
How is the mining industry responding to global trends? What are the main challenges and opportunities it faces, and what might the future hold? Our Chief Executive Officer, Alessandro Dazza shares his views on the role of mining in a changing world in this new LinkedIn article.
The lithium-ion battery market has vastly expanded in recent years and our Graphite & Carbon business is fully committed to supporting this market growth.
3 questions to the Chairman of our Board and to our CEO