1 June 2026

Dock & Talk: Misel Ahom on building inclusion in a world full of bias

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are high on many corporate agendas, but their actual progress depends on more than good intentions. At the latest edition of Dock & Talk, held at KLU’s Hamburg campus on May 5, 2026, Prof. Andreas Kaplan welcomed Misel Ahom, HRVP DE&I and Talent Acquisition at Beiersdorf, for a conversation on representation, quotas, global differences, and the power of human stories.

Two speakers engaged in a conversation during a podcast.

A path from marketing to people

Ahom’s path into DE&I did not start in HR. Before taking on her current role, she spent more than two decades in marketing, driven by an interest in understanding people: what motivates them, what shapes their behavior, and how to bring them along.

That experience became central when Beiersdorf decided to move its DE&I agenda from a voluntary initiative to a dedicated function. For Ahom, the move felt natural: having grown up in the Netherlands and later lived in the United States, she had seen how different social contexts define opportunities. She pointed at the values behind her work: justice, dignity, and respect.

Progress needs a compass

A recurring theme of the conversation was the role of measurement. Ahom explained that KPIs help organizations understand whether they are really moving forward, where barriers remain, and how change can become more than an intention. At Beiersdorf, one early focus was gender balance in management: the company set the goal of reaching 50:50 by 2025 and achieved it in September 2023.

Ahom also took a stand on equity and quotas. She described equity as a matter of outcomes, not only equal starting points, and said she believes quotas can help force change where old patterns might otherwise continue, since potential may be widely distributed, but opportunity often is not.

Inclusion in multicultural dimensions

The dialogue moved to the realities of working across countries and cultures. Ahom emphasized that some principles can be held globally, while the way they are brought to life often needs local understanding. Ahom positioned herself clearly in the discussion on LGBTQIA+ inclusion, where she spoke about the importance of respect, dignity, and a workplace free from harassment or discrimination.

Rather than focusing only on policies, Ahom underlined the role of human stories, sharing the story of a gay employee in India whose parents’ journey of acceptance helped colleagues see inclusion through a personal lens and created psychological safety for other younger colleagues.

Leadership beyond labels

The conversation also looked at what DE&I means for managers and future leaders. Ahom described inclusion as something that cannot simply be forced. It has to be practiced in everyday interactions, supported by systems, and lived by people across the organization.

For students, the topic extended into career ownership and talent acquisition. For managers, it's about unlocking the potential of diverse teams by strengthening empathy, curiosity, and psychological safety. Done well, inclusion becomes not only a question of fairness, but a source of stronger teams and better decisions.