Corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies have been in place for decades at most companies, but the increased social awareness of today’s consumers has stepped up the visibility of such programs. The state of the world’s economy, the ever-evolving business environment, and an overall growth in social awareness of corporate sustainability is shining a spotlight on the efforts of business entities large and small. Finding out what a company is doing in terms of CSR is easy: most policies and programs are posted online (see online bonus content for more information), and consumers now have the power to monitor and, therefore, influence how a company supports its community, operates sustainably, and conducts itself ethically. This social awareness and transparency is influencing companies to look up from the bottom line and be a viable contributors to the world in which they do business. In reaction to this, many pharmaceutical companies have designated CSR staff to facilitate policies and programs. According to our experts, CSR is not a “nice to have" addition to company policies, but an integral part of today’s overall business strategy. As an example, many CSR savvy companies are choosing to only partner or do business with companies that have matching values, missions, and ambitions. Marketing is no Longer the Major Driver CSR is not just PR. There are many drivers behind the need for a well-defined and publicized CSR policy. Last year, Aneel Karnani, a University of Michigan professor, wrote an editorial in The Wall Street Journal outlining his argument that companies shouldn’t bother to conduct CSR since it is not profitable. According to Mr. Karnani, executives are unlikely to act voluntarily for the public interest and against shareholder interests, because doing what is best for society means sacrificing profits. Of 270 posts commenting on the article, very few were in support of Mr. Karnani’s theory, although the article itself received more than 500 likes on Facebook. The reason may be because many believe there are other factors for implementing a corporate social responsibility policy, and gaining profits is no longer the most important objective. Our experts believe CSR or CR is driven these days by the need to provide guidance and transparency to employees and external stakeholders by outlining how a company plans to conduct business responsibly. According to Patricia Hughes, executive director of the Roche Foundation, as well as director, corporate relations and contributions at Roche, providing transparency with external partners is paramount, but employees must be aware of the processes as well. “CR is integral to the way that we approach our business," Ms. Hughes says. “Our focus, in the last few years, has been to coordinate efforts with a high level of corporate governance, communicate our policy in a comprehensive and public manner, and identify key performance indicators to track our progress." At Shire, business objectives and corporate responsibility policies are tightly woven together. “Shire is focused on a single purpose: to enable people with life-altering conditions to lead better lives," says Tatjana May, chair of Shire’s corporate responsibility team. “Our commitment to responsibility underpins this purpose; it is embedded across our business; and it is how we will achieve our goal of adding value for patients, physicians, payers, policymakers, and ultimately, to society." Ms. May says there is little difference in the focus areas for responsibility and corporate objectives. While most companies include issues such as health and safety and environmental stewardship under their corporate responsibility programs, Shire also includes areas such as geographic expansion or mergers and acquisitions. “Responsibility has always been a fundamental value at Shire, and in fact, it is the first of the five ‘brave’ values upon which the company is built," she says. According to Ms. May, commercial objectives are closely aligned to responsibility focus areas, because what the company wants to achieve is inextricably linked to how it goes about doing business. “Behaving responsibly in reaching our goals is just as important to us as the fact that we’ve reached them," she says. “This is why we take a distinctive approach to the day-to-day implementation of responsibility." At Roche, the company also believes there is a great deal of value in creating a legacy of sustainability for its own longevity, since there is a strong business case for sustainability, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. “Our products can take between eight and 12 years to come to market," Ms. Hughes from Roche says. “As such, we focus on long-term success, rather than short-term gain, and realize that protecting the future value of the company through CR is critical." With Roche expending this much effort in its CR programs, it is not surprising that it is one of the industry leaders. In 2010, for the second year in a row, the company was named a global super sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Ms. Hughes says Roche uses this index and other analyses to evaluate its performance and identify areas where it can improve and learn from others. Novartis is driven to contribute by the fact that too many people are suffering and dying from preventable and treatable diseases, says Joe Jimenez, CEO, Novartis. “We are committed to expanding access to healthcare to patients around the world, including those who cannot afford treatment, and in 2010 alone, our access to medicines programs reached 85 million patients in need, a contribution valued at 3% of net sales or $1.5 billion," Mr. Jimenez says. Executive talent solutions firm JBK Associates has had a corporate social responsibility platform in place for many years that encompasses the company’s passion for diversity and inclusion, philanthropy, and sustainability. The driving force behind its CSR is to bring credibility to its ethics and responsibility measures. “We have always maintained that doing business responsibly is of key importance to our clients for various reasons," says Julie Kampf, CEO, president and founder of JBK Associates. “We also believe that while doing business is our main focus, contributing to the community and environment is extremely important." As a small boutique firm, JBK Associates strives to make a big difference in the world in which it functions as well as be responsible to the communities nearer to home. At Baxter, the commitment to sustainability spans more than three decades, beginning in 1977 with the establishment of a formal proactive environmental program and policy. Early on, the company realized that taking a responsible approach to conducting its business, considering the short- and long-term social, economic, and environmental impacts of the products and services it makes, is not only the right thing to do, but also makes good business sense. “This approach drives financial savings, helps attract high caliber and diverse talent, differentiates the company, and enhances its reputation," says Art Gibson, VP, environment, health, safety and sustainability at Baxter. For example, Baxter saved more than $10.9 million in 2009 through environmental initiatives, such as energy conservation, water conservation, and recycling. Total environmental income, savings, and cost avoidance realized in 2009 from environmental initiatives implemented during the prior six years, including 2009, totaled $107.8 million. Also, the company increased global access to healthcare through grants from The Baxter International Foundation and the donation of critical healthcare products for worldwide distribution. During 2010, Baxter International and The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter, had a combined 2010 charitable giving of almost $80 million, including support of math and science education. Roche also has a long-time commitment to CR, established long before the term was coined, according to Ms. Hughes. “While Roche does not espouse a singular CR policy, as a good corporate citizen this has been engrained in our culture for more than 100 years, and all areas of the company prioritize creating value for stakeholders," she says. For Sanofi-Aventis, the motivation for integrating CSR into its business activities stems from its basic business principle: a passion to provide innovative healthcare solutions for patients. According to John Spinnato, VP and general counsel and VP of North America corporate social responsibility, Sanofi-Aventis, corporate social responsibility has been part of the company culture for many years in a variety of departments. The company’s CSR policy focuses on four key areas: patients, people, ethics, and the planet. This approach includes balancing the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the products and services the company develops. “Our CSR efforts help us to better serve patients and optimize our operations, as well as contribute to the company’s overall performance," Mr. Spinnato says. For imc2, a full-service agency, the key driver was the evolution of the company’s leadership, not in the narrow form of a policy, but in the overall approach to the business. “Our founder and CEO, Doug Levy, had an awakening of sorts that if we clarified our higher purpose beyond just profits, created value for multiple stakeholders not just shareholders, and cultivated a certain type of culture, imc2 would become a more meaningful and profitable business," says Jonathan Feinstein, positive impact coordinator at imc2. “Corporate social responsibility has historically been about managing risk; we approach it more as an opportunity to create shared value." Healthcare advertising and communications agency Harrison and Star has consistently participated in philanthropic endeavors for more than 20 years and the driver for its programs comes straight from its employees. “Our philanthropic outreach activities have grown organically from the interests our staff members have expressed in causes that are important to them," says Allison Hyers, VP, recruitment and resources management, Harrison and Star. “We support these philanthropic interests by giving every staff member a paid day off a year to participate in initiatives associated with the cause of their choice. On an individual level, as well as a corporate level, we support each other with donations and/or hands-on involvement in the causes in which our team members are actively involved." More Companies Move Toward a Designated Staff As the importance of having a visible CSR program grows, many companies have a dedicated committees to help ensure business activities align with the CSR policy in place, and that the company’s efforts and achievements are communicated to all stakeholders. For example, Baxter’s executive-level sustainability steering committee leads the company’s efforts to integrate sustainability into its long-term strategic planning and its daily activities, but it is not their full-time job. The committee includes senior representatives from the company’s bioscience, medication delivery, ethics and compliance, human resources, manufacturing, research and development, and supply chain organizations. The establishment of this committee in 2006 marked an intensified effort to align global business activities with the needs of society and the environment, Mr. Gibson says. Baxter communicates its sustainability efforts to employees through a variety of channels to reach employees at all levels of the organization, such as through all-employee webcasts led by the CEO, an internal sustainability intranet site, and formalized opportunities to volunteer through planned activities during Baxter World Environment Week. At Sanofi-Aventis, a designated unit for CSR started at the parent company in Paris. In 2009, the company grouped its corporate social responsibility activities under one organization in order to better demonstrate its commitment and focus, as well as to demonstrate the importance of those activities. In October 2010, Sanofi-Aventis’ U.S. organization followed suit with a similar department of eight staff members for its North America CSR activities. This dedicated staff at the corporate level helps implement CSR best practices in conjunction with the businesses. Mr. Spinnato reports the company also plans to develop regional and country networks. The company is currently using an intranet website at the corporate and U.S. levels to communicate CSR-related activities and is planning to develop blogs on the subject. Brochures, fairs, and other means of communication will be used as well. “We will continue to improve upon our methods of internal communications," Mr. Spinnato says. “We consider the communication of our CSR initiatives to be a key element to demonstrate to our stakeholders and employees our commitment to ethics and social responsibility." At Roche, on the corporate level, policy is coordinated by a corporate sustainability committee (CSC), which identifies and assesses significant social, ethical, and environmental issues and opportunities, ensures senior management is kept up-to-date on these topics, and develops corporate positions and guidelines on related topics as needed. The committee’s cross-functional network ensures its work is firmly embedded throughout the organization. However, Ms. Hughes says, CR is an integral part of everyone’s responsibility. To keep the whole enterprise up-to-date and involved, Roche holds an annual workshop for 60 to 70 selected employees across various functions in the business to discuss key topics and then empowers these attendees to act as “champions" to cascade these learnings down into the organization. “While our employees are focused on creating stakeholder value every day, we reinforce their individual importance in this strategy in ways ranging from volunteer events that bring our employees into the community to offering them tours of our award winning co-generation plant to highlight our conservation efforts," Ms. Hughes says. Functioning on a much smaller scale with a staff of 10, the entire team at JBK Associates contributes to the CSR platform. “In many large corporations, there is a separate group that brings CSR to light, however, in a firm such as ours, we developed the platform and deliver it every day while presenting the concept to new employees," Ms. Kampf says. “We live and work it every day." Harrison and Star’s management of its CSR is also organic. “It is a bottom-up effort with top-down support," Ms. Hyers says. “We haven’t rolled out a formal plan or strategy as the majority of our efforts are driven by the desire and interest of our staff." Company leadership supports the efforts, encourages the activities, and facilitates activities to raise funds and awareness through agency communications vehicles. Staff members promote their upcoming events through an internal website and through their own creative marketing efforts throughout the office. A designated CSR team at imc2 was created almost four years ago, which includes a “positive impact coordinator” position — Mr. Feinstein’s position — that reports directly to the CEO and senior leaders. This position is responsible for not only communicating with employees, but also engaging them in creating shared value. “Whether we’re orienting a new hire, sending internal announcements, or gathering as a company to get the week started, ‘positive impact’ is an integrated part of our internal communications," Mr. Feinstein says. The vision is to make positive impact something that’s virtually indistinguishable from everything imc² does. “It is a core part of who we are and what we do, and we’re making it a consistent and integral part of our operations, services, culture, and relationships," he says. Novartis also has dedicated teams responsible for ensuring the success of its corporate citizen programs. According to Mr. Jimenez, the company has appointed strong leaders to these programs, as there are often challenging and complex obstacles to access in developing countries. For example, there is a senior leader from its pharma business in charge of the Malaria Initiative to make sure patients in need receive treatment, overcoming problems of diminishing supply and medical support, and of unstable sociopolitical and economic conditions. “Our CSR programs are a real source of pride and motivation for our associates," he says. “Our associates are passionate about our programs, and many note it brings more meaning to their everyday work." Although Shire has a central responsibility coordination team, it has deliberately decided to not call it a “committee" and has avoided using overly formal words like “governance" in its approach. “We want everyone at Shire to feel equal ownership of ‘responsibility,’ to feel empowered to put it into action, and to suggest ways we might improve," Ms. May says. “At Shire, responsibility is part of everyone’s job." Each focus area has a senior team member to provide overall leadership and serve as an ambassador and embodiment of responsibility at Shire. Each sponsor works with champions, or subject matter experts from within the company, to help spearhead progress and coordinate specific activities. “Every focus area also has dedicated communications support because we think it’s vital that we learn from all the good work and new ideas we see across the company and that we share the successes we’ve had and the progress we’ve made," she says. CSR Gets a Makeover With more transparency and increased social awareness shaping the environment, pharma companies are putting a new face on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. » Roche was the highest scoring pharmaceutical company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in both 2009 and 2010. » Sanofi-Aventis achieved a score of 53 in the 2010 index, well above the average for companies in the pharmaceutical sector. » Baxter was named 2010 Medical Products Industry Leader in the index for the ninth consecutive year. (Baxter was also recognized by Corporate Knights as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World and by Corporate Responsibility magazine as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens.) Editor’s note: Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes track the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. The Index features about 10% of the top-performing companies in a sustainability context from a worldwide field of 2,500. Source: Dow Jones Sustainability Index Organizations Join UN Global Compact to Showcase Social Responsibility The U.N. Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti- corruption. By doing so, business, as a primary driver of globalization, can help ensure that markets, commerce, technology, and finance advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere. The U.N. Global Compact asks member companies to embrace, support, and enact the following 10 principles: Human Rights Principles » Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights. » Principle 2: Businesses need to make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. Labor Principles » Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining. » Principle 4: Businesses should eliminate all forms of forced and compulsory labor. » Principle 5: Businesses need to effectively abolish child labor. » Principle 6: Businesses need to eliminate discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. Environment Principles » Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges. » Principle 8: Businesses should undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility. » Principle 9: Businesses should encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. Anti-Corruption Principles » Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery. Source: U.N. Global Compact. For more information, visit unglobalcompact.org. “Behaving responsibly in reaching our business goals is just as important to us as the fact that we’ve reached them. " Tatjana May / Shire “Our corporate and social responsibility efforts help us to better serve patients and optimize operations, as well as contribute to the company’s overall performance. " John Spinnato Sanofi-Aventis “Corporate responsibility or sustainability is integral to the way we approach our business. " Patricia Hughes / Roche Elaine Cohen is CEO of Beyond Business Ltd., which specializes in CSR consulting and sustainability reporting. For more information, visit b-yond.biz/en or email [email protected]. “In 2010, GSK established the Pool for Open Innovation (ntdpool.org), which opens up access to intellectual property for efficient drug delivery and invites collaboration for the greater good. A brilliant sustainability move, enabled by social media, GSK, together with its Morethanmedicine blog, is adapting to the new reality where pharma companies break through the secrecy barrier and engage in a dialogue, tell their own story in blogs, Facebook pages, tweets, and online sustainability reports, all the while enhancing their reputation as good corporate citizens and sustainability leaders. This is not without risk, but for the bolder players, it’s empowering." Laura Nguyen is Senior Manager of Social Media Strategy at Intouch Solutions Inc., a digital marketing agency, servicing the pharmaceutical industry. For more information, visit intouchsol.com. “Heightened transparency required by social media directly impacts how pharma practices and promotes CSR. Social media opens new doors for pharmaceutical companies from simply promoting involvement in the communities they serve, to requiring a long-term commitment. CSR is rooted in community commitment. As an industry that receives more criticism than praise, these initiatives foster a more transparent, authentic relationship with stakeholders. Customers expect companies to be responsive and engaged. CSR is a great place to start. Although we haven’t seen pharma leverage social media as part of CSR much yet, we hope to see it evolve in the near future. " Experts explain how social media has changed the face of corporate and social responsibility. “Corporate social responsibility has historically been about managing risk; we approach it more as an opportunity to create shared value. " Jonathan Feinstein / imc2 “Many companies are choosing to do business with corporations that conduct themselves responsibly. " Julie Kampf / JBK Associates “Stakeholders are increasingly measuring a company’s performance and impact beyond share price or quarterly financial results. " Art Gibson / Baxter “Our associates report that our corporate and social responsibility programs bring more meaning to the everyday work that they do. " Joseph Jimenez / Novartis “Corporate social responsibility gives everyone a sense of pride for making small changes that have a big impact on the world. " Allison Hyers / Harrison and Star Tooting the CSR Horn While corporate and social responsibility initiatives aren’t all about the PR, it is still essential that the public knows how a company plans to conduct itself in an ever-increasing competitive landscape. Corporate announcements related to social responsibility initiatives used to come in the form of press releases, but now a company can tout its policies on a website, in social media, a multimedia annual report, or by membership in an ethical association. Jonathan Feinstein, positive impact coordinator at imc2, says his company has been creating an annual “positive impact report for three years." The report reveals the non-financial impacts of the company’s operations and helps set measureable goals for improving them. “It is absolutely important for the public to be able to access transparent information about our non-financial performance, but it’s perhaps more important that we share and learn with our key stakeholders," Mr. Feinstein says. “After all, we don’t create positive impact in isolation but through our relationships with clients, employees, suppliers, and local communities. Ultimately, if we want to improve those impacts, we need to be engaging and aligning with those stakeholders." Joe Jimenez, CEO of Novartis, says his company takes a similar approach. “I do believe it is important for the public to know about our corporate citizenship efforts," he says. “Now more than ever, customers and investors value a company that is responsible and one they can trust." Novartis communicates its updates through investor meetings, its website, corporate publications, and press releases. “We target a lot of our communications toward the communities and stakeholders who are most involved in reaching these goals with us," Mr. Jimenez says. “We know that meeting global health needs cannot be achieved by a single organization or sector, and we are committed to partnering with all relevant stakeholders to reach our common goal of saving lives." Tatjana May, chair of Shire’s corporate responsibility team, says the trust of its stakeholders is fundamental to the company’s ability to achieve its purpose, and transparency is an important way to build and keep that trust. As part of its commitment to transparency, Shire reports on progress in each of the CSR focus areas, as well as philanthropy work, every year. This information is posted on its responsibility website and highlights are compiled in its annual CR Highlights report, which is also available on the Shire website. JBK Associates uses its membership in U.N. Global Compact to inform the public and clients about its policies and to illustrate its strong commitment to making a difference. “We know that there are many companies that would certainly prefer to do business with organizations that demonstrate responsibility in a number of areas," says Julie Kampf, CEO, president and founder of JBK Associates. “We hope our message will be heard and others will follow our lead." According to Art Gibson, VP, environment, health, safety, and sustainability at Baxter, his company discloses its sustainability performance in a variety of ways, and believes that communicating and engaging with stakeholders worldwide helps the company better understand stakeholder views on Baxter’s priorities, programs, and performance, and find opportunities to collaborate and reach common goals. Baxter interacts with many stakeholders on a regular basis, not just patients, clinicians, employees, and shareholders but also members of its communities, government officials, suppliers, and NGOs, Mr. Gibson says. Baxter’s annual sustainability report represents a holistic means of providing information that is relevant to all stakeholders, and is the main vehicle for communicating information about Baxter’s programs and soliciting feedback on the company’s performance. “Stakeholders are increasingly measuring a company’s performance and impact beyond share price or quarterly financial results, and sustainability reporting provides a means to provide that information as well as content around issues affecting the company or industry," Mr. Baxter says. “Baxter’s strong engagement with many environmental NGOs, such as CERES, helps to assure the validation and the transparency of our sustainability program." Additionally, Baxter regularly issues press releases about its performance and participates in various industry conferences, presentations, and meetings. According to Patricia Hughes, executive director of the Roche Foundation, as well as director, corporate relations and contributions at Roche, the company uses links from its websites to spread the news. The Roche corporate website has an extensive corporate responsibility component with information relevant to its key stakeholder groups. Policies on issues from ethics to the environment are clearly addressed. Similarly, the Nutley, N.J., website addresses its efforts to be a responsible corporate neighbor to its local constituencies, highlighting site sustainability efforts. The company’s annual report also details activities, along with press releases on key topics, participation in surveys, such as the Access to Medicines Index, and other groups that publish what companies are doing in this field. In addition, contact information for the corporate sustainability secretary and compliance officer is available to ensure that the public has access to key responsible individuals in the company. The execution of a successful CR program most definitely requires interaction with the public, Ms. Hughes says. “To reach our goal of balancing the needs of individuals, society, and the environment in our work, we must constantly monitor our progress, including public input and feedback," she says. According to John Spinnato, VP and general counsel and VP North America corporate social responsibility, Sanofi-Aventis, the company has developed a communication strategy that includes use of social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to better communicate its CSR practices to stakeholders. In addition to the traditional communications tools, Sanofi-Aventis’ annual corporate CSR Report will be a website this year and there will also be a U.S. CSR website and brochure. At Harrison and Star, the staff uses social media to inform family and friends about the company’s efforts, and the company communicates its CSR activities to generate more widespread awareness and increased participation. “We think it is important to let the public know what we are doing, what we stand for as an organization, and that our staff is a driver of these efforts and cares to help those in need," says Allison Hyers, VP, recruitment and resources management, Harrison and Star. CSR Policies and Programs: What is Everyone Doing? The following links will lead to extensive descriptions of the CSR programs and policies of our experts and others. Read about their efforts to make the world a better place to live, as well as do business. » AstraZeneca is implementing the changes to its business strategy by underpinning its commitment to sustainable development that delivers value for stakeholders and for the company. http://www.astrazeneca.com/Responsibility » Baxter is dedicated to sharing information about its sustainability priorities, goals, initiatives and performance. http://www.global100.org http:www.sustainability.baxter.com http://www.baxter.com/ » Bristol-Myers Squibb is steadfast in its commitment to economic, social, and environmental sustainability. http://www.bms.com/responsibility/Pages/ home.aspx » GlaxoSmithKline is dedicated to creating a successful and sustainable business that is about more than financial results. http://www.gsk.com/responsibility » Imc2 is dedicated to being a force for good. http://www.imc2.com/about/careers.aspx #about_impact http://www.imc2.com/documents/2010csr.pdf » Johnson & Johnson aims to make the world a better and healthier place through everything it does. http://www.jnj.com/connect/about-jnj/ our-citizenship/ » Lilly seeks to be a leader in corporate responsibility, believing how it does business is as important as what it does. http://lilly.com/responsibility/connectingheartsabroad/ » Merck fulfills its business responsibility in a sustainable manner, demands high ethical standards, and promotes a culture that values honesty, integrity, and transparency. http://www.merck.com/corporate-responsibility/ » Novartis strives for economic performance in a responsible manner. http://www.corporatecitizenship.novartis.com » Pfizer strives to adapt to the evolving needs of society and contribute to the overall health and wellness of the world. http://www.pfizer.com/responsibility/ » Roche is committed to sustainability and thus to running its business in a way that is ethical, responsible, and creates long-term value. http://www.roche.com/corporate_ responsibility.htm http://www.rocheusa.com/portal/usa/ nutley_community http://www.roche.com/corporate_ responsibility/principles.htm » Sanofi-Aventis uses Twitter, Facebook, and its website to announce its CSR efforts. http://www.uscsr.sanofi-aventis.com http://twitter.com/#!/sanofiaventisUS https://www.facebook.com/sanofiaventis US?ref=ts http://en.sanofi-aventis.com/csr/csr.asp http://en.sanofi-aventis.com/csr/patient/ patient.asp » Shire believes that being responsible is at the core of everything that it does. http://www.shire.com/cr » ViiV Healthcare’s leadership and involvement with community-based organizations remain critical to successful HIV prevention, care, and treatment. www.viivhealthcare.com/community/ positive-action Taking Pride in CSR Of the many efforts each company is contributing to corporate responsibility, each CEO has a spot for his or her favorite. Our experts tell us about the CSR programs they are the most proud. Jonathan Feinstein is Positive Impact Coordinator, imc2, which leads clients by cultivating sustainable relationships between brands and people. For more information, visit imc2.com. “I am most proud of something we call Weekend of Love. Twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, we host a skills-based volunteering effort that delivers professional marketing expertise to selected nonprofit companies during an intense, fast-paced weekend of service. Using this approach, we have delivered about $875,000 in pro bono services to organizations, ranging from local education and community development nonprofits to international NGOs." Allison Hyers is VP, Recruitment and Resource Management, Harrison and Star, a healthcare advertising and communications agency providing strategic and creative services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostic, and medical-device industries. For more information, visit hs-ideas.com. “We are proud that we attract and retain employees who have a desire to give back to our community and want to devote their time, effort, and energy to making a positive difference in the world. It is a good feeling to work with a group of people who are grounded in helping others and making an impact with the healthcare industry and within our community. Our grassroots CSR outreach includes participation in various awareness month fundraising efforts, both on a local and national level benefiting organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, pediatric research for juvenile diabetes at Hackensack University Medical Center, and with Hyacinth, an AIDS foundation in New Jersey, and many more. Our staff has created its own CSR initiatives in addition to participating in external CSR efforts, and they created the Harrison and Star Caring Hands committee whose mission is to plan and execute various volunteer events and fundraisers to help make a difference in our community. Harrison and Star staffers with a penchant to protect the earth have created H&S Green 16 to promote an environmentally friendly work environment. Their efforts have decreased the agency’s carbon footprint, saved money through more eco-minded work practices, and given everyone a sense of pride in making small changes that have a big impact on the world. " Joe Jimenez is CEO, Novartis, a global healthcare company whose diverse portfolio spans innovative pharmaceuticals, eye care products, generics, vaccines and diagnostics, and consumer health products. For more information, visit novartis.com. “I am most proud of how many lives we’ve touched with our access to medicines programs. We’ve just reached a momentous milestone with the delivery of our 400 millionth treatment of Coartem, our antimalarial drug, which we provide without profit to developing countries where malaria is endemic. Today, Coartem has saved an estimated 1 million lives, many of whom are children under age 5. This is a significant accomplishment. But we are not standing still as we know we can potentially face problems of resistance to current antimalarials. We are investing resources to discover the next generation of malaria treatments so that we can continue to fight this disease, as well as other preventable illnesses. " Julie Kampf is CEO, President and Founder, JBK Associates, an executive talent solutions organization specializing in the acquisition, management, and development of senior-level talent across a wide spectrum of functional responsibilities and industries. For more information, visit jbkassociates.net. “Although we hold dear our community and environmental initiatives, our diversity and inclusion practice is definitely the area that we are most proud. For almost a decade, our commitment and passion around bringing diverse talent to corporations is by far our most robust success story. Fortune 50, 100, and 500 companies seek our counsel and help to create more diverse and inclusive work environments that help them be more innovative and agile, ultimately producing a greater ROI to all stakeholders. This in turn creates a happier employee base and a more attractive company to work for."
