Winner
Building a Strong DE&I Platform – from the Inside, Out
Summary of work
Alnylam was founded on the belief that if companies do the right thing, success will follow. We don’t need publications to provide the business case for diverse thinking, equity for all and a sense of belonging; we know that if we surround ourselves with people of similar background, culture or belief, we wouldn’t have had the innovative ideas that have fuelled Alnylam’s 20-year journey on behalf of patients.
Although these values have been ever-present, in March 2021, the company appointed its first global Chief DE&I Officer (previously Chief Regulatory Officer), signalling a more intentional approach to diversifying our workforce, educating our employees and measuring our impact and progress.
We have undertaken several programmes within Europe to raise awareness, educate and engage our employees around DE&I issues and the behaviours we want infused in our day-to-day operations. Externally, we are increasing diversity in our clinical trials, we have continued to be recognised as a Great Place to Work and have initiated our first-ever corporate partnerships programme to support refugees across Europe.
Judges’ comments
Alnylam is truly invested in embedding D&I into all aspects of their company, and their strong D&I philosophy has been translated into actionable strategy. Almost half of personal objectives – that are tied to bonus payments – will include DE&I, which is very impressive and will affect real change. There is a focus on both global and local change, and their support of improved health outcomes in minoritised groups is evident. A worthy winner!
