‘Speak loudly to our collective purpose,’ says Organon’s MD on IWD 2024

Leadership & Management: In its commitment to fostering the wellbeing and progress of its workforce, Organon has, for the third consecutive year, announced that its 10,000 employees, spanning Australia and New Zealand, will receive paid time off on International Women’s Day.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress resonates deeply with Organon’s vision.

Nirelle Tolstoshev, Managing Director of Organon ANZ, conveyed the company’s commitment, stating “Organon is built on a vision of a better and healthier every day for every woman. At the core of our vision is a commitment to listen to women, advance gender equity to enable women to achieve their promise, and celebrate progress.”

Speaking to Health Industry Hub, Ms Tolstoshev emphasised the company’s multi-faceted approach, which encompasses innovation in women’s health, expanding access to essential medicines, and championing equity both within and beyond the organisation.

“We start with our local business, ensuring equitable policies that support all our employees, including Flexible Work & Lifestyle Benefits for everyone, along with a paid day off on International Women’s Day,” she explained.

“Externally, our partnerships with National Youth Science Forum, Sister2sister, and Franklin Women support women and girls in achieving their full potential by addressing gender-related disparities in wellbeing and STEM education.”

On a personal note regarding the IWD 2024 theme, Ms Tolstoshev emphasised “For me, Organon’s global purpose of ‘A healthier everyday for every woman’ starts with our employees, our families, and our communities, and so International Women’s Day is an opportunity to speak loudly to our collective purpose of progressing gender equity at all levels.”

Addressing the critical question of impactful policies to narrow the gender equity gap, Ms Tolstoshev lauded the proactive stance of the pharma sector in Australia. She remarked, “The pharma sector in Australia has proactively focused on gender equity for many years now, and I think we do quite well compared with other industries.”

Highlighting Organon’s own initiatives, she shared “Organon has one of the most diverse Boards of Directors in the pharmaceutical industry. 70% of the Organon Board are female – this is higher than any S&P 500 healthcare company. We are also well represented in diversity of industry, experience, age, race, and geographical locations.”

This diversity extends to the company’s Australian operations, with an equal division of male and female employees. Ms Tolstoshev proudly disclosed, “75% of the Australian leadership team are female, and 48% are female managers.”

Innovative approaches are integral to Organon’s strategy, including a global GIG Marketplace and Hybrid roles that offer targeted stretch assignments. Ms Tolstoshev elaborated, “This approach provides short-term skill-specific development opportunities aligned with development goals, providing a safer approach in exploring opportunities and alternative roles.”

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