The importance of allyship

01 June 2021

Today marks the start of Pride - a month-long celebration to recognise the influence that LGBTQ+ individuals have around the world, to raise awareness of the progress that has been made and the challenges the community continues to face.

As we join individuals and organisations across the world in celebration of Pride, I’ve spent some time reflecting on the importance of being an ally.

As a business leader, it’s important to set clear expectations and tone from the outset – which is to create a baseline - that everyone is entitled to, and deserves, respect and equity. Clearly this makes sense from a basic human value perspective, but it also makes business sense – creates an environment and culture which brings a richer output for organisations.

I’m driven by people – by the ability to identify the potential in my colleagues – seeing them grow and creating the right environment to enable them to be their best selves and become a better team player.

For me, integrity is key, and by that I’m not just referring to how we operate with our partners and HCPs, but with how we engage as colleagues - how we respect, interact with and value each other.

Zero tolerance

Being a CEO of a global organisation that operates in countries where it’s still illegal or not accepted to be LGBTQ+ can obviously present challenges. However, it’s important for me to be clear that we’re an inclusive organisation and that irrespective of sexual orientation, gender identity, religious or cultural beliefs we have duty to be kind and to listen, educate and understand. Only by listening to the community and better understanding the role of allyship, can we move from words to action.

Making diversity and inclusion a priority is a key organisational behaviour, embedded into our global ways of working and measures of performance. We have zero tolerance for anyone that doesn’t act with integrity and we encourage everyone to speak up against any form of discrimination.

Moving from words to action

Being a role model is an important part of holding a senior position in an organisation, and I’m committed to continued personal growth and expanding my understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. It is important to have an open and no preconceived ideas, and to ask lots of questions – of myself and others around me – to find better ways to operate that foster inclusivity.

As a new leadership team, one of our first decisions we made was to provide people with an open platform to communicate. In addition to this we created a dedicated D&I role to lead our efforts at Mundipharma – and while we’re in the early stages of our journey, we’re already creating more opportunities to listen and understand, and we have clear direction on where we need to improve.

Being an ally speaks to our purpose – where care and collaboration meet, to make a difference when it matters most. As allies, it’s important to show we care – to come together to celebrate our LGBTQ+ colleagues, allies and the broader community. Pride is a fantastic platform to do this, and I can’t wait to get involved, but celebration and awareness doesn’t begin and end in June.  The listening, conversation and action is an ongoing endeavour, and one that each of us can, and should, get behind.

Marc Princen, Chief Executive Officer, Mundipharma

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At Mundipharma we are committed to achieving high ethical standards and acting in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, and industry codes.

We urge anyone who believes we are failing to uphold our commitment to Be Brave to contact us so that we can review their concerns and take any remedial action. Mundipharma prohibits any form of retaliation towards anyone who raises concerns in good faith. Anyone can call the Mundipharma Integrity Line to raise questions or concerns.