Two weeks ago, we announced an expansion of our equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) initiative to ensure our work directly addresses systemic racism and the ongoing racial inequity in the life sciences, especially for Black, Brown, and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). More than ever, we are committed to working together with our membership to create change through intentional, actionable, and measurable strategies.
To do that quickly and on a wide scale, today we are launching our “Open Letter 2.0 – The CEO Pledge for a More Equitable and Inclusive Life Sciences Industry” calling on CEOs across the life sciences community to join us and pledge your name toward a range of best practices designed to improve equity, diversity, inclusion, and culture inside your company. The Pledge is designed to be flexible to fit all companies and circumstances with the understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all fix to ED&I.
Signing the CEO Pledge is a public commitment to do better – and MassBio is here to hold you accountable while also making sure you and your company succeed. We will provide our full suite of resources to you upon signing, including 1:1 meetings to help you develop and scale your ED&I program no matter the size of your company. We’ll provide you resources, networks, and introductions to make sure you have the tools and contacts you need. And we will regularly check-in with you to assess progress and suggest further ideas to improve.
I urge you to add your name as a CEO today or to encourage your CEO to sign. We will be adding new names to the Open Letter through August 11.
Thank you in advance for your commitment and your leadership on this crucial issue. Together, we can make a difference in our industry and beyond to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to enter and prosper in the life sciences, and that our industry employees reflect the patient populations we are here to serve.
Thank you to the MassBio Board members and ED&I leaders who were initial signers of this pledge – it’s your early support that will give others the courage to sign on.
Sincerely,
Robert K. Coughlin
President & CEO, MassBio