Finalist
Sanofi
Summary of work
How do you jump-start culture change? Two years after integrating our businesses under the Sanofi brand, over half our 90,000 employees said they still found it “hard to think and act as one company.”
So, we took an unprecedented step: investing in an external sponsorship – the Paris 2024 Games – to connect our people to a common purpose by leveraging the Olympic values of unity and global citizenship; to utilise unique opportunities to bring employees physically together (e.g., as Games Volunteers, Torchbearers); to springboard off the drive and determination of top athletes to shape an inspirational company identity story and, increase disease awareness. What better way for a healthcare company to find its collective spirit than through the world’s biggest showcase of physical endeavour?
But this was uncharted territory. Sanofi had never sponsored a major event before, and it wasn’t handed over to an agency. This was a transformation driven by Sanofians. The core team of 23 assembled from corporate affairs brought drive and creativity, but no sponsorship expertise. It was a pure passion project. We were all bonded simply by ideals – inspired by the potential of a once-in-a-lifetime global event to redefine who we are.
Judges’ comments
Sanofi has created an incredibly ambitious employee engagement initiative that pushes the boundaries of pharma campaigns. The team demonstrated vision, creativity and courage. Mobilising that many people to participate in activities is a huge undertaking, and the team’s efforts clearly paid off.
