PBN Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2021
Manufacturing: Amgen Inc.
After several years at Amgen Inc.’s Woburn, Mass., facility, Dania Gonzalez-Guzman joined the leadership team of the biopharmaceutical company’s West Greenwich manufacturing plant two years ago.
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It didn’t take long for her colleagues to see her enthusiasm and desire to help others. Gonzalez-Guzman was recently promoted to the role of executive director, quality and diversity, inclusion and belonging – an important role for Amgen and one she is very passionate about.
“My career advancement has been accelerated by my strong commitment to deliver results and help others grow,” Gonzalez-Guzman said. “I feel extremely proud of how we leveraged the hiring process to advance our diversity recruitment strategy. I am very excited about this growth opportunity and conscious about the fact that I am [a] role model for other females in the company. In addition, I have a larger platform to positively impact the growth and development of our staff members.”
Amgen aspires to be the best place where diverse talent thrives, Gonzalez-Guzman said, by focusing on several areas, including advancing inclusive culture change through leadership role modeling and organizational behaviors; maximizing and optimizing collective employee resource group impact; embedding diversity, inclusion and belonging in practice, policies and processes; and focusing on external efforts that promote justice and equity for patients and society.
“It is critical to connect with staff at all levels to ensure adequate communication, manage mood and advance our culture of inclusion and belonging,” Gonzalez-Guzman said. “I think the first step is to educate your staff in terms of what do we mean by the concepts of diversity, inclusion and belonging, why these are important and what are the expected benefits. At the same time, we have to identify champions that will help set the tone, shape the culture and model the desired behaviors. The most challenging element is managing the change in culture and expectations. It needs to be embraced by the organization top-down; leaders need to be vulnerable and authentic and consistent in their actions.”
‘Leaders need to be vulnerable and authentic and consistent in their actions.’
DANIA GONZALEZ-GUZMAN, Amgen Inc. executive director, quality and diversity, inclusion and belonging
Amgen’s eight on-site employee resource groups, which boast more than 400 members in total, offer regular learning and team-building activities, including celebrations for Black History Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, PRIDE Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Diversity Month.
“Amgen Rhode Island embraces diversity of thought, background and experience because we are committed to serving patients and we know that diverse teams make the best decisions,” Gonzalez-Guzman said. “Our ERGs [employee resource groups] are at the forefront of our efforts and help us shape the culture of inclusion and belonging. Our staff members are proud of our journey and the positive impact Amgen has on Rhode Island and our communities.”
One example of this effort is Amgen’s partnership with Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, a nonprofit organization that connects unemployed and underemployed Rhode Islanders to jobs with socially responsible, civic-minded employers.
Brian Britson, Amgen’s Rhode Island vice president of site operations who has been with the company for 22 years, echoed Gonzalez-Guzman, saying that Amgen’s goal is to create a culture that enables every employee to fulfill their highest potential – a goal accomplished by fully embracing diversity, inclusion and belonging with the belief that it empowers the best teams to develop the best solutions.
“We continually strive to build a robust, diverse talent pipeline,” Britson said. “Within Amgen, we have a robust education program, ambassador programs to help new staff acclimate to our culture, a talent council that assesses opportunities to improve our recruitment and career development, and mentoring programs for our diverse staff. Externally, we have fostered several partnerships and outreach at the high school, technical school, community college and university levels that enhance STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] education and provide opportunities for internships.”
For Britson, having a solid diversity and inclusion plan in place is critical.
“My role consists of shaping strategy, building the best teams and delivering results,” Britson said. “The best ideas are the product of collaboration. Simply put, to deliver outstanding results, you need the right staff and the right culture where everyone can thrive. We work diligently to create an environment of openness, empathy and active caring where everyone understands that their voice matters.”
