Diversity Equity and Inclusion
With a substantial workforce in the UK, our ability to excel depends on the diversity, integrity, and imagination of our employees. A DE&I mindset is central to our business growth and enables us to ensure patients and customers experience ultimate health outcomes.
Our workforce represents the people we serve
As an employer of 1500 people in the UK, we believe that our employees are our greatest asset and are fundamental to everything we do. That’s why we are committed to developing a workforce that is diverse and talented, fostering a culture of mutual respect so that everyone can excel.
But diversity is only part of the story; inclusion is just as important. Inclusion leads to a sense of belonging. When our employees know they are crucial to our purpose, not only will they thrive, but our company will too.
“When people feel valued and empowered, they are able to innovate and make amazing things happen.”
– Celeste Warren
Vice president, global diversity & inclusion
Our workforce is multigenerational with employees ranging in age from 18-70. We truly represent the diverse population that we serve and are proud to have employees who have been with us for 10, 20 and even more than 30 years.
We’re committed to diversity and inclusion, with 45 per cent of senior roles across the UK at present filled by women and half of our UK Human Health senior leadership team are women.
2025
Employee Business Resource Groups (EBRGs)
Rainbow Alliance (LGBTQ+), LEAD (League of Employees of African Descent), Asia Pacific Association, Next Generation Network (NGN), Women’s’ Network, capABILITY network, Alianza.
Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs)
We provide Mental Health support amongst our employees, to date having trained over 25 Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs).
Recognition of our DE&I Strategy
We have have been shortlisted for ‘Diverse Company of the Year’ at the UK National Diversity Awards for several years running in addition to being certified a Top Employer.
Taking Action
At MSD our work is more than just scientific, we recognise that we have an important part to play in tackling health disparities to drive improvements in healthcare access and outcomes for patients across the UK. We believe in creating a more equitable and inclusive society where everyone has the best chance of staying healthy and well, regardless of their background, identity and circumstances.
Our employees with shared experiences and their allies come together as employee led business resource groups (EBRGs). By providing a community and informing change, EBRGs help everyone bring their whole selves to work. MSD enables employees to protect dedicated time for their EBRGs and a member of our executive team sponsors each EBRG to provide support and represent them at a leadership level. Together, we are taking action for inclusivity.
Our range of EBRGs have grown over time and the impact of their work has been incredibly positive, but for us DE&I is not just a destination it is a journey and we continue to push forward with greater awareness, new ideas and areas where we can make a difference. Watch our video to hear more about their work.
Data Helps us Deliver
We know that data, and the insights that data gives us, can help create a better workplace
As a company, data is vitally important in the research, development and supply of our medicines and vaccines, and it is just as important in helping guide us in creating a culture where all of us feel we belong. Our EBRG leads and members share examples below of how data has driven impact in our DE&I activities.
You can watch all our videos here.
Representation affects people’s career choices. The League of Employees of African Descent is an Employee Business Resource Group working to strengthen diversity of leadership at MSD. One of our key initiatives is a bespoke career development programme focused on diversity and inclusion. We gather data from participants before, during, and after completing the programme and the impact has been excellent. Our goal is to increase representation in leadership. When people see themselves in those positions, they will feel confident to pursue those roles. Then we’ll have some real momentum.
As a one of the leads for MSD UK’s Rainbow Alliance, I’m proud of how our core team havehad a hand in creating a more inclusive workplace for our LGBTQ+ colleagues, and for everyone. But we wanted to get an honest, external evaluation of how we’re doing. So, we submitted to the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index. For the submission we needed data about MSD from departments across the company: HR, procurement, senior leadership, and employee surveys. The data provides insights into how we are doing as a company.
That outside perspective will help us keep true to our word about being a people centred business. It’s a way of holding ourselves accountable because we know how important this is.
68% of returners describe parental leave as a ‘pinch point’ in their careers, and 50% would like access to coaching or mentorship.
MSD for Mothers is an initiative to promote equity for mothers around the world. But we wanted to do something to support our colleagues as well. Getting that data gave us important insight into how to do that. So we decided to develop a return-to-work coaching programme.
We want everyone who needs coaching to be able to get it. Because coming back from parental leave is a huge challenge. Support like this helps our colleagues feel like proper members of the team when they return
We were asking ourselves could we do more to improve accessibility for our employees? But we didn’t really know what was needed. We commissioned an external accessibility audit and that helped us identify the changes that could help. We’re an Employee Business Resource Group focused on what we call capABILITY. We’re still making changes to address accessibility needs. And we’re doing another audit to find out what’s helping, and what else we can do to make our workplace more inclusive. That way, our colleagues can focus on doing the work we’re here to do to help save and improve lives.
The growth of our Employee Business Resource Groups (EBRGs) over the years…
Our global diversity & inclusion by the numbers.
women in management roles
Members of employee business resource groups
Jobs supported through small and diverse suppliers
Fostering an inclusive environment that embraces different perspectives and values the contributions of everyone really is paramount to us. Having a globally and locally diverse workforce makes us a more innovative and agile company — and one better attuned to the needs of our customers, health care providers and patients who ultimately use our products.
We help our people become the very best in their fields and invest in their professional development whilst also encouraging a healthy work/life balance.
That’s why we have a range of programmes in place to support physical and mental wellbeing, including our ‘Live It’ programme providing support and resources for employees as well as over 25 trained Mental Health First Aiders.
Our people are passionate about making a difference – and our success is built upon their motivation and their passion to save and improve lives.
GB-NON-11159 | March 2025