Our series to introduce HBA London’s valued corporate partners continues with Medidata and RWS today. We asked our corporate partners why they partner with the HBA, the key ways they use their membership to benefit both their organisation and employees and what they are doing to build an inclusive and equal UK healthcare sector.
Medidata has been an HBA corporate partner since 2014, first engaging the U.S. and then the UK and Europe. Medidata was a founding member and is still engaged in, the Gender Parity Collaborative, a consortium of healthcare and life sciences companies dedicated to accelerating gender parity and diversity. Medidata shares the HBA’s commitments and actively promotes diversity and belonging in our hiring practices, employee engagement and talent development.
Medidata has been a consistent sponsor of, and contributor to, the annual HBA Europe Leadership Summit. In addition, Medidata’s HBA members across the globe benefit from participating in programs, networking and volunteering. These activities foster career development, leadership acumen and practical skill-building - such as presenting and building your personal brand. Being a member of the HBA community allows like-minded people to share their stories, learn from each other and make meaningful industry connections. Each year, Medidata’s Business Resource Groups - Women of Colour and Women in Tech - host joint HBA programs to raise awareness of gender inequities and take actions, such as engaging male allies to support needed change.
Medidata champions diversity in clinical trials and access to healthcare for all. For many years, women and people of colour were excluded from clinical trials for a variety of reasons. Research has shown, trials that include diverse groups of people (which more accurately reflect the patient population) lead to the development of better and more effective drugs, as well as expanded access to new treatments.
We are proud to be an HBA corporate partner and are committed to working together to drive innovation and change in our industry.
RWS’ history has its roots in the impact women have on business. Back in 1960, RWS’ co-founder, Maria Randall, who was a patent translator, partnered with Kit Woolcott to form RWS (Randall Woolcott Services). RWS continues to honour its heritage and founder by prioritizing gender parity and the development of women - helping women realize their full potential and tapping into that potential. This is one of the many reasons RWS value their partnership with the HBA.
We’ve been a partner of the HBA since 2020. With our globally diverse and connected business, we know that tremendous value is gained from leveraging the diverse talents of women everywhere - it’s fundamental to us and critical to our success. Our partnership with the HBA helps us achieve this ambition.
RWS has a comprehensive approach to diversity, equity and inclusion that has several components, such as forums across several underrepresented communities, learning programs, chat sessions to enable storytelling, best practice sharing and support, and much more.
Various modes of development are available to women at RWS and the HBA is an important avenue for us to provide even more opportunities for their growth and development, particularly with regard to creating stronger, lasting relationships across the healthcare industry. Our leaders are avid believers in the value the HBA provides to us and has committed their resources and expertise to the HBA, through board and regional/local leadership, to supporting HBA initiatives - including brand building, relevance, thought leadership and mentoring. To us, the value of our partnership with the HBA is plentiful and important to the professional success of RWS women and our business success, overall.