Introduction and Demographics

Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability in Life Sciences 2020

Diversity and inclusion is rightly being scrutinized across every industry more than ever, and the life sciences are no different. The 2019 Women in the Workplace report by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org revealed that women make up 30% of the c-suite in healthcare companies in the US, but just 4% are women of color and 9% men of color.

Informa Connect Life Sciences conducted a huge survey (April 2020) asking life sciences professionals from the pharma, biotech, medical device and regulatory industries around the world how they perceive the representation of women and cultural/ethnic minorities in their organizations, as well as the importance of sustainability to the future of the industry. The results of the 432 responses, presented in this report, reveal unique insights into how these key issues are viewed in 2020.

In this first section we look at the demographics of the respondents.

Key Insights

44% of respondents think women are under represented in their organization.
50% of respondents think cultural/ethnic minorities are under represented in their organization.
72% of respondents think sustainability should be very important or the most important factor when decisions are made on the future direction of their organization.
In contrast, just 44% of respondents think that their organization currently rates sustainability as very important or the most important factor when making decisions.

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