• The certification recognizes the outstanding commitments and actions of companies to achieve gender parity at all levels of business.
• Sanofi was the first global biopharmaceutical company with a presence in Canada to achieve gold level certification in 2019.
• Sanofi has committed to reaching gender parity amongst the company's 1,900 senior leaders globally by 2025.

LAVAL, QC, March 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Celebrating its second straight recognition by the Women in Governance organization, Sanofi Canada is pleased to announce that the company has earned Gold-level Gender Parity Certification for 2020, as we continue to strive towards a more inclusive workplace that builds a better understanding of needs and forges stronger connections to patients, customers and partners.

"Sanofi strongly believes in the significant value and importance of gender balance and inclusiveness in the workplace. We're committed to creating a work environment that is inclusive and empowers women across our organization to be successful and represented in leadership roles.  Earning this certification two years in a row shows our continued progress and demonstrates how achieving gender parity remains a top priority for our organization, especially as we see women disproportionally impacted by the pandemic and leaving the workforce at increased rates," says Marissa Poole, Country Lead for Sanofi in Canada and General Manager of Sanofi Genzyme. "This accomplishment will continue to inspire our team to drive even stronger efforts to foster an inclusive and representative workplace and ensure gender balance remains a focus across all leadership roles within our diverse organization."

Sanofi Canada was the first global biopharmaceutical company with a presence in Canada to achieve gender parity certification in 2019, and that momentum towards parity continues this year.  Sanofi has an ambitious global objective of achieving equal representation of women and men among our 1,900 global senior leaders by 2025, and has made important progress against that goal, having increased the number of women in senior leadership roles globally since 2018. In Canada, Sanofi has made impressive progress in 2020, with >50% of senior leadership positions held by women and a 50:50 gender balance on our country council.  Overall, 52% of our Canadian employees are women.

"Fostering gender equality at Sanofi throughout all levels of our organization helps us attract and retain the best talents of all genders, making us a stronger and more successful company," says Marie-Pierre Lalande, Head of Human Resources for Sanofi in Canada. "We will continue to empower every member of our organization to embrace an inclusive culture from coast to coast, working together to solve the healthcare needs of people in Canada and around the world."

The benefits of inclusion and diversity in the workplace are well-proven. Sanofi believes that including diverse perspectives in our decision-making processes encourages new ideas that reflect changing realities, enabling us to be more innovative in connecting with patients and customers' needs, while also contributing to better financial performance across our business units. That has led to concrete actions both inside and outside Sanofi, including the following:

• Development of a Canadian Inclusion and Diversity Council.
• Training and development initiatives to find and mentor future female leaders.
• Meaningful changes to our talent acquisition and talent management practices to foster gender parity.
• Joining the Government of Canada's 50 – 30 Challenge, a national initiative to increase the representation and inclusion of diverse groups within the workplace, while highlighting the benefits of giving all Canadians a seat at the table.
• Additional flexible work options implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Women in Governance
Women in Governance is a not-for-profit organization founded to empower women in their roles as employees and leaders in their quest towards excellence. Their objective is to close the gender gap in the workplace and achieve parity at every level and department of an organization. More information is available at www.womeningovernance.org.

About Sanofi
Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.

With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.

Sanofi entities in Canada employ approximately 2,000 people. In 2018, we invested more than $127 million in R&D in Canada, creating jobs, business and opportunity throughout the country.

Follow us on Twitter @SanofiCanada and on YouTube.

Sanofi, Empowering Life

SOURCE Sanofi-Aventis Canada Inc.