Gender diversity at workplace is key to growth

I recently read in an article that in life sciences women make up 73 per cent of medical and health services managers, 34 per cent of middle level managers, 17 per cent of top level management and only four per cent of CEOs are women. Companies can address this issue by offering a strong executive mentoring programme and HR policies that offer women the choice to advance their careers and empower them to have a work life balance.

I did not face any specific discrimination. My advice to women at the workplace has always been to be confident and speak up. Most organisations these days have clear guidelines around this.

At Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), there is a clear focus towards promoting diversity at various levels of the organisation including senior management. The Executive Mentoring Programme along with other management and leadership training programmes to help women advance and excel in their careers have earned BMS recognition for the 11th year in a row as a ‘NAFE Top 50 Company for Executive Women’ by the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE). The award recognises the company as a leader in recruiting, retaining and advancing women.

Personally, here in India, diversity is a key enabling strategy for our talent acquisition. We also have the ‘Women in Science’ initiative which provides women a platform to grow and realise their full potential to create value and make a difference to BMS and its customers globally.

At BMS India we are committed to increase the gender diversity of our workforce. In an initiative led by our Managing Director, Pheroze Khan, BMS India has significantly increased the percentage of women directors in its senior management team.

There are incentives to all business units for increasing the diversity of the sales force. Additionally, the employee referral incentive is higher for the referral of women candidates.

Apart from the mentioned initiatives we also maintain a flexible working environment for pregnant women and new mothers.

– Deepshikha Kiyawat, Business Unit Director, Specialty, Bristol-Myers Squibb