Destined to Advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Question: Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

Rachel: I'm a mother of two young boys, and my family and I live in London. I've been with Baxter for five years and have had several roles. I currently wear a couple official hats, as the head of Integrated Care Solutions for the UK, Ireland, Nordics, Benelux, Switzerland and Austria and as Country Lead for the UK and Ireland (UKI). I'm also proud to be co-president of the Alliance for Baxter Women (ABW) globally, the ABW UKI chapter sponsor and chair of the UKI diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) council, which all of the local business resource group (BRG) chapters participate in. 

Q: Why did you join ABW? And separately, why did you take on a leadership role? 

Rachel: I have a family history of advocating for diversity. My great grandmother was a suffragette in the UK, and my dad was always very proud of what she stood for. This shaped my belief at a young age that it's important to stand up for equity and inclusion. 

In the workplace, DE&I are fundamental components of an organization's culture in empowering a true sense of belonging. As I've developed as a leader, I've come to fully appreciate that diversity also sits at the heart of innovation. By getting involved in BRG efforts, I can help create that sense of belonging that fosters bold, new and different ideas. 

Q: In your own words, what is ABW's mission?    

Rachel: To achieve a place of equity for all genders. ABW is a passionate community where female voices are heard, and their needs are understood so we can help put mechanisms in place to support them. It's important that this community is made up of both men and women to build stronger engagement and advocates for change.  

Q: What are you most proud of when it comes to ABW? 

Rachel: We have several thousand members around the world (and 38 chapters!), which means we have a wide reach and that our work matters to people. On the ground, local chapters have amazing achievements, which demonstrate peoples' sheer passion to make a difference. In the UK for example, ABW partnered with HR to pursue and ultimately be awarded a 2023 Menopause Friendly Employer Accreditation for Baxter, which demonstrates our workforce's understanding about how menopause can affect work and our commitment to supporting the wellbeing of our colleagues. 

Q: What does this year's International Women’s Day theme of "embracing equity" mean to you?   

Rachel: It's all about removing barriers. Equity and equality are not the same. In fact, equity is about making sure all people have the resources they need to reach equal outcomes. In order to ensure equity, we need to understand where we are today, recognize where there are gaps and make plans to close those gaps. For ABW, "embracing equity" is not just a moment to commemorate on a single day, but it is engrained in our strategy which is grounded in reaching equity in the workplace.