Laura Kohler always understood how critical employee engagement and well-being was to the growth and sustainment of the company and spent much of her career maintaining these beliefs as evidenced by her nearly two-decade tenure as the head of human resources. Her steadfast vision to enhance the workplace experience fostered an environment where associates could find meaningful work and achieve their full potential.

Well before it was mainstream, she introduced one of the first flexible workplace programs to reinforce the company’s longstanding belief in taking care of employees, families and the communities where they live and work. As part of this effort, Laura led the company’s stewardship and social impact efforts, focused on the idea of Associates in Action to embed Stewardship and help associates feel a sense of belonging and purpose. Guided by the company’s values, Laura oversaw the creation and success of many Kohler programs such as Innovation for Good®, the I-Prize, Safe Water for All, the KOHLER WasteLAB, and the release of the company’s first global social impact report in 2022. Laura has also managed the Arts/Industry program for over three decades, which has hosted over 500 artists from more than 25 countries.

In January 2023, Laura was appointed Kohler’s first Chief Sustainability and DEI Officer. In this role, Laura expanded the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability, social impact and DE&I by implementing more aggressive initiatives to achieve its net zero 2035 goals, accelerating innovation to provide a broader range of products that help people reduce their impact on the environment, and increasing advocacy to address water conservation and improved access to safe water and sanitation.