WOMEN AT BAXTER
At Baxter, we recognize and celebrate each other’s differences. Diversity, equity and inclusion, and offering a safe space to just “be you,” are what we strive for. Read on to discover how we support and champion the women who help make us a success.
ALLIANCE FOR BAXTER WOMEN
The Alliance for Baxter Women, or ABW, is one of our many employee-led Business Resource Groups with a purpose to empower, share, support and build diverse, high-performing teams throughout the business. A place where everyone belongs. We thrive when our people thrive. The ABW’s Mission: We are a community of all genders built to unite, inspire, and advance Baxter women, every day, around the world. Our vision is to be a global company free of barriers, where all genders have achieved equity.
"Inclusion drives engagement and is a critical part of our culture and employee experience. At its core, inclusion creates a sense of belonging where employees feel seen, heard and valued." Lee Ann Schuette, VP - Global Solutions, Medical Products & Therapies and ABW Executive Sponsor (Global)
"We can mentor, sponsor and advocate for other women. We can facilitate networking."
"As women in leadership, we can share our experiences. We can mentor, sponsor and advocate for other women. We can facilitate networking. We can speak up for other women if or when they may not be present. We can be the safe space if someone needs to vent or talk through a challenging or frustrating situation. We can push other women to grow, even if they have doubts in themselves."
Lindsey Alexander, Associate Director – Infusion Systems R&D, Medical Products & Therapies (US)
“I TRY TO CHAMPION INCLUSIVITY BY BEING AN ALLY.”
“Inclusion allows a thriving working environment, higher employee engagement, drives innovation and better customer experience. It’s good for everyone. I try to champion inclusivity by being an ally in the workplace and support and sponsor the various chapters of the Alliance for Baxter Women, as well as leading by example. International Women’s Day is important to me to help raise awareness that we still have some work to do to attain gender equality, reflect on past achievements and set our next milestones to achieve our goals.”
Fahmi Kahouach, VP – Commercial Strategy & Execution, Healthcare Systems & Technologies (Germany)
BaxFlex
We know that women can be disproportionately affected by the lack of flexibility in the workplace and are commonly underrepresented in positions above mid-management. This is usually due to women taking on a bigger proportion of caring responsibilities within a family. Through hiring, promotion, and retention, we aspire to increase representation of women in leadership roles globally to 40%. BaxFlex is one of the ways we are playing a part with our office-based people.
BaxFlex is our structured approach to a hybrid work arrangement. It allows us to strike a balance between flexibility and leveraging our valuable worksites to foster collaboration, community, connection and partnership. We also have Flex for Your Day, an arrangement to adjust your workday to manage personal commitments.
"Baxter has been great by allowing flexibility when it comes to work and family. There are days where my kids are unwell, and I know that I would not be penalized for having to be there for my children first." - Anna Peterson, Product Manager - Renal Care, Kidney Care (Australia)
WHAT INCLUSION MEANS AT BAXTER
Stacey Eisen,
SVP - Chief Communications Officer, Corporate Marketing and President, Baxter International Foundation (Global)
“Inclusion means you can add the greatest value by bringing your authentic self to work. It allows you to contribute with confidence and amplify your impact. As a leader, I’m inspired by the power of inclusion and the increased collaboration it fosters across my team.”
Denisse Alejandra Padrón Plazola,
Specialist - Network Site Reliability Engineer, Global IT (Mexico)
“Inclusion for me means equality. Everyone has the same value and importance around the workplace. It doesn't matter about gender, age or any other characteristic. We should always remember to help other women to make this road a little bit easier for them and facilitate the inclusion of ideas.”
Lavonda Holley,
Principal Specialist – Regulatory Affairs, Healthcare Systems & Technologies (US)
“To me, inclusion means creating a space where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered regardless of their background or identity. It's about promoting a sense of belonging that all individuals have equal opportunities to succeed. ”
Gillian Scott,
Senior Manager – HR ANZ, Kidney Care (Australia)
“Inclusion means all voices are heard. Authenticity and difference are revered. We leverage the insights and richness of diversity to solve problems and innovate to meet the needs of our people and our customers/patients.”
Encouraging Inclusion Outside of Baxter
In 2023/2024, the Alliance for Baxter Women gifted a grant of $50,000 to the international nonprofit organization Girls Who Code (GWC), whose aim is to increase the number of women who work in computer science. The grant will go towards the organization’s Self-Paced Project (SPP), hosted over six weeks in the summer and fall/autumn, offering high school girls and non-binary students the opportunity to network with peers and inspiring professionals across a variety of industries. They learn to code through independent study and real-world project-based curriculums, choosing to pursue web development, cybersecurity, data science or AI. The support from Baxter allows 180 students to take part.
A MENOPAUSE FRIENDLY EMPLOYER
In 2023, Baxter became an accredited Menopause Friendly Employer in the UK & Ireland.
We’ve introduced several initiatives to demonstrate our commitment to being menopause friendly: HR policies have been revised, training resources have been introduced and a new information portal 'The Menopause Hotspot' was launched. Multiple coffee chats, both virtually and face-to-face at our manufacturing sites, and the recognition of World Menopause Day in October happened with the sharing of resources and support information.
"Talking with leadership, it's clear that they want to accelerate women into more senior leadership positions."
"To ensure we’re truly embracing inclusion at Baxter, I believe direct coaching and mentoring is important. I've been very fortunate to have great mentors early in my career. I look at my sphere of influence and understand the individuals’ aspirations and identify what's constraining them. I see many companies like Baxter building more direct policy around diversity and inclusion. Talking with leadership, it's clear that they want to accelerate women into more senior leadership positions. I also sponsor flexibility in the workplace as much as possible."
Quan Tran, VP - Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs APAC
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