Sanofi’s new mentoring program with Australian Network on Disability helps mentees keep PACE

Pharma News: Sanofi Australia will mark International Day of People with Disability, on Friday 3 December 2021, by formalising participation in the Australian Network on Disability’s 2022 Positive Action towards Career Engagement (PACE) Mentoring program.

PACE is a dynamic mentoring program introduced by the Australian Network on Disability to bridge gaps to employment by matching students and jobseekers with disability, to experienced professionals from a range of disciplines. Mentees are matched with mentors based on their personal goals – including what they want to learn, skills they want to develop, and how they want to connect.

A small number of Sanofi Australia team members recently joined a pilot of the PACE mentoring program to assess alignment with the company’s local Accessibility Inclusion Plan. Following that experience, the decision was made to sign up to the full program and offer the opportunity to other employees as soon as possible.

Michelle Zimany, Head of Human Resources for Sanofi Australia & New Zealand was a mentor in the pilot program. “Working with the Australian Network on Disability and the PACE mentoring program has been eye-opening, humbling and hugely rewarding as I have engaged with our remarkable young mentees sharing their hopes and ambitions alongside stories of inequality and the obstacles faced,” she said.

“Within weeks of the pilot starting we knew our people at Sanofi and the PACE mentees had a lot to offer one another. I am excited about the different ways the program will improve the inclusion of people with disability. Together, we can enable everyone to achieve their full potential.”

According to Program Manager Isabel Heiner at Australian Network on Disability “There are misconceptions about the skills and potential of people with disability as talented professionals which can result in them being discriminated against not only in the recruitment process, but also in career progression or professional development more generally. The PACE Program is designed to help coach mentees through inequality gaps so they have a better chance to achieve their personal goals, and help create change.”

Sanofi Australia team members will have the opportunity to participate in the program from Autumn 2022.