Q&A on Gender Equality with Akanksha Halbe of Organon

Women are under represented across the private sector, despite the benefits achieving gender equality has on business.

Research shows that investing in women and girls can increase productivity, organizational effectiveness, return on investment, and higher consumer satisfaction. In fact, companies with the highest proportion of female employees had annual returns of 2.8 percentage points higher than the least diverse firms.

As more US companies set corporate targets for women’s representation and leadership, there are opportunities to deepen the implementation of the Women’s Empowerment Principles and strengthen their contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 5.5.

To understand what this looks like in practice, UNGC Network USA (Network USA) spoke with Akanksha Halbe, Associate Director, Corporate Responsibility &ESG, of Organon, to learn how the company prioritizes gender equality in all aspects of its business.

Akanksha participated in Network USA’s Target Gender Equality Accelerator in 2022 and, since then, joined a roundtable discussion facilitated by the UN Global Compact during the Convention on the Status of Women (CSW) at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Q&A

Organon has focused on achieving gender parity at every level of the organization. Can you discuss these goals and the steps you take to achieve them?

Being a new company, Organon had the unique opportunity to set the leadership at the board level. More than two-thirds (69%) of the directors at OGN are women. The board took an active role in overseeing the development of the company’s Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) strategy from the beginning. We set gender-specific goals as part of the ESG strategy.

One of the goals stated in our first ESG report published in June 2022 includes achieving balanced gender representation through all levels of the company globally by 2030. To reach this goal, we strive to maintain our current global gender balance while increasing the number of women in mid-to-senior leadership roles where and to the extent permitted by law. In 2022, our female representation in roles at director-level and above increased from 43.45% in 2021 to 46.70%.

In support of our gender parity goal, in 2022, we became a signatory for the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, which aim to advance gender equality. We participated in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, garnering a high score for brand and equality. We participated in McKinsey & Company’s Women in the Workplace report, the largest study of women in corporate America. We obtained the Equidad MX certification from the Human Rights Campaign, demonstrating our commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion in Mexico. In 2023, we intend to expand our women’s leadership development curriculum and continue to evolve our learning programs to promote leadership among all employees.

After participating in Target Gender Equality Accelerator, Organon participants said the program helped them get out of their “echo chamber.” Can you expand on this and explain how the program impacted the direction of your work at Organon?

Our participation in the Target Gender Equality Accelerator program gave us the opportunity to engage with other industry players who had similar or different approaches from ours towards meeting their gender focused ESG goals. The course modules and the cohort of industry partners helped us to test our thinking and approach as a new company, explore certain gender related topics in depth, and discuss best practices and lessons learned in a safe and trusted environment. The global and local nature of the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles enabled us to endorse these principles at the corporate level as well as make it possible for local markets to highlight this commitment and engage stakeholders and communities within their own region.

What were some challenges in implementing your gender equality plan, and how did you work around them?

We recognize that diversity looks different around the world, so we recently launched a Global Diversity Council made up of business leaders from our locations worldwide who will help differentiate our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging strategy at the local level.

Why was it so important to Organon that it creates a culture of inclusivity, especially when addressing gender-specific issues?

At Organon, our vision is to create a better and healthier every day for every woman. Her promise is our purpose. That’s why we are working with partners around the world to introduce health solutions that help women and girls achieve their promise through better health. By addressing gender-related disparities in health, we build a more sustainable future for women, families, economies, and society. Our purpose is inextricably linked to our business strategy, where we seek to accelerate innovation and introduce and expand access to health options that help secure her promise and her equitable place in the world.

What advice do you have for companies working to operationalize their gender equality plans?

I would encourage companies to start by looking at their existing data and identify opportunities to improve performance. Identifying key priorities and levers you can pull to put your plan into action can help you progress towards your commitments toward gender equality. I would also recommend companies to endorse the UN Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) to show commitment and advocate for gender equality within and outside the company.

What advice do you have for new participants of the UN Global Compact?

My advice to new participants of the UN Global Compact would be to engage in the programs and activities run by the UN Global Compact such as the Target Gender Equality Accelerator program. This engagement can serve as an entry point for companies to learn and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure continuous advancement on gender equality as part of the company’s overall ESG strategy.