Carrying our Culture to New Heights
Our nine Business Resource Groups (BRGs) are an important component in growing our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture and advancing our priorities as a company. These voluntary, employee-run affinity groups share identities and experiences that help drive better outcomes on behalf of our workforce, marketplace and communities.
Baxter’s ongoing transformation, further spurred by the acquisition of Hillrom in 2021, has reinvigorated our BRGs and provided an opportunity to re-calibrate and strengthen their commitments. To learn more, we spoke with four co-presidents, spanning the Alliance for Baxter Women (ABW), Asian Leadership Network (ALN), HOLA and PRIDE, to share insights on the direction of their respective groups.
Question: What’s an example of the work that goes into integrating two established BRGs? How do you see the Alliance for Baxter Women playing a role in helping the company advance women in their careers?
We were able to use the process to develop a new name and identity. We are all thrilled with our new name, vision and mission! We are looking forward to actively partnering with our leaders across Baxter to reach our aspirational goals for advancing women in leadership positions by attracting, retaining and developing women.
Lynn Pawelski, vice president, Global Regulatory Affairs & co-president of the Alliance for Baxter Women
Question: How was momentum built through the integration of the two BRGs that formed PRIDE? What were the takeaways coming away from your first PRIDE month as a united group?
We saw this as an opportunity to enlarge our PRIDE community made up of LGBTQ+ members and their allies. We doubled our membership and feel that this is a restarting point to engage with the broader Baxter global community. One of the most important takeaways was the level of commitment and passion around PRIDE. It brought all our community members and their allies from both organizations closer together and it is going to provide a great platform to continue educating our employees on topics affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
Kim Killackey, vice president, Quality, Global Quality Management System & co-president of PRIDE
Question: Why is it important to proactively advance representation and how much did our culture influence the direction of HOLA, our business resource group dedicated to attracting, developing, retaining and advancing Hispanic and Latino employees?
The beauty of working in a multinational organization is that you have the benefit of diverse perspectives which influence our actions and ultimately our behavior. That is culture! Diversity is a substantial element for growth and sustainability every day.
Oscar Perez, general manager, Colombia & co-president of HOLA
Question: What is the new direction of ALN and how does it build off Baxter's focus on being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization?
I believe our new direction reflects leadership’s commitment to creating a workforce and workplace where we all can be ourselves and be successful. We are working to strengthen our engagement across all levels of the organization and expand our reach at the local level.
I really like that we are focusing on equity as a company – that each person receives what they need to succeed. It will require strategy, achievable goals and conscious engagement from all employees led by the most senior leadership across Baxter. I like that we are taking on this challenge.Sung Lee, director, Global Brand Protection & Channel Strategy – Front Line Care & co-president of ALN