Skip to: Accountable to Progress, Recruiting and Retaining the Best and the Brightest, Affinity Groups

Lilly works to attract and retain top employees who bring varying perspectives and the skills we need to operate on a global level.

Lilly aspires to fully leverage the talents of our diverse work force to operate within an increasingly diverse marketplace. This supports enhanced relationships between employees and their managers, improved customer interactions, increased diversity in clinical trials, and stronger community investment.

To underscore our commitments to diversity and transparency, we publicly release our global and U.S. work force breakdowns by gender and our U.S. work force breakdown by ethnic group members. This transparency demonstrates our desire for continuous improvement—especially in how we support our employees.

In 2009, 52.7 percent of our U.S. work force was male and 47.1 percent female. The numbers globally were nearly identical—54.1 percent male, 46.8 percent female. Minority employees made up 18.7 percent of our U.S. work force, breaking down as follows: 7.6 percent African American; 6.6 percent Asian; 3.1 percent Hispanic; and 0.1 percent American Indian/Alaska Nat; less than 1/10 percent Nat Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander; and 1 percent two or more races.

Accountable to Progress

We continue to increase our leaders' accountability to develop diverse talent. Our senior leaders must meet diversity work force performance objectives. These performance objectives focus on mentoring and career path planning for women and diverse employees both in our global work force and in the United States. And in 2006, we began requiring diversity training for all U.S. employees, with additional instruction for supervisors.

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Recruiting and Retaining the Best and the Brightest

We are working hard to bring new diverse talent to our company. For example, we have long-standing relationships with several historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through which we recruit interns and new employees. We have also created faculty internships through these HBCUs, enabling us to bring talented professors to our headquarters to deepen their perspective and knowledge of our industry.

We maintain relationships with several important local and national organizations, such as the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, which support the personal, professional, and career development of diverse students and help us find successful candidates for our internships and full-time positions.

More than 175 individuals — 45 percent of them ethnically diverse and more than half of them women — participate each year in our summer internship program. These efforts, combined with our Summer Leadership Camp and our mentoring and career development programs, help us to recruit, retain, and develop a high-performing and diverse work force.

We believe all of these efforts are paying off. In 2007, Lilly was included on Black Enterprise's third annual “Top 40 Companies for Diversity.” Lilly was the only pharmaceutical company to make the list. Black Enterprise asked more than 1,000 publicly traded companies to participate in its annual survey. The magazine selected the companies, which were not ranked, based on four categories: supplier diversity, senior management, board of directors, and employee base. Based on those categories, Lilly was also recognized among the publication's “15 Best in Supplier Diversity.”

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Affinity Groups

Employee groups are vital partners for achieving Lilly's diversity initiative. These groups help us build competencies in specific cultural areas. They also provide a channel for Lilly employees to connect with others within the company who share common backgrounds and experiences. Several employee-led affinity groups have been established. The purpose of the groups is to:

  • Support Lilly values and business goals, including the company's commitment to creating an inclusive work environment.
  • Provide networking opportunities among employees with common interests or cultures.
  • Create learning opportunities for Lilly employees at all levels.

African American Network (AAN)

The mission of the Lilly African American Network is to provide opportunities to enhance the professional and personal growth of its members.

The strategic intent of AAN is to provide development opportunities through the following:

  • Community Outreach
  • Professional Development
  • Mentoring
  • Awareness of African American Culture

Chinese Culture Network (CCN)

The Chinese Culture Network was formed in 1995 to build a Chinese community at Lilly that enhances the working and living environment and improves the multicultural competency of all Lilly employees.

Our Mission:

  • Create, promote, and build a spirit of fellowship, friendliness, unity and loyalty in daily contact with one another.
  • Foster and organize activities for education and entertainment.
  • Provide networking support to one another in becoming successful Lilly employees.

Eli Lilly Asian American Network (ELAAN)

ELAN was formed in 2001 to help create an environment that will develop and leverage the strength of Asians in order to enhance the success of Lilly through the following initiatives:

  • Career development
  • Recruiting and Retention
  • Professional Mentoring and Networking
  • Raising awareness of Asian cultural differences in the workplace and recognition of Asian contributions.
  • Improve communication and interactions between Asians, Americans and the Indianapolis community.
  • Serve as a bridge between Asian affinity groups and the Lilly culture.

Gay and Lesbian Employees, Advocates, and More (GLEAM)

Lilly GLEAM, with its roots back as far as 1988, has undergone many changes through the years. We are committed to a welcoming, safe, open, productive and equal-opportunity working environment for all Lilly employees, regardless of one’s sexual orientation.

Our Mission

  • To ensure that all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered employees are treated with respect and can perform their jobs without fear of harassment, discrimination, or unfair treatment.
  • To achieve equality of benefits for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered employees by having Lilly recognize our domestic partners as being equal to married partners.
  • To ensure that all gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered employees have equal opportunities for promotion and career advancement at Lilly.
  • To serve as a support network for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered employees at Lilly.

  • To help Lilly be identified as a top-tier company, recognized for valuing and managing diversity.

Lilly India Network (LINk)

Our mission is to actively promote the understanding of Indian culture at Lilly. We will provide a forum for support, mentoring and networking opportunities to Lilly employees of Indian origin by effectively partnering with Lilly management and aligning with corporate strategies. Our vision is to make Lilly a desirable employer for people of Indian origin and help members achieve their maximum potential by doing the following:

  • Provide onboarding support to new employees and interns.
  • Provide a forum for networking, career development, mentoring and other support to all LINk members.
  • Educate non-LINk members on Indian culture and how to work with Indians.
  • Actively initiate and engage in community service and outreach.

Middle Eastern Network at Lilly (MENAL)

The Middle Eastern Network at Lilly (MENAL) is a global affinity group that provides the opportunity to learn, share, and celebrate Middle-Eastern culture, while unifying and developing meaningful relationships across the organization. We welcome any Lilly employee who has a background or interest in Middle-Eastern culture. MENAL will serve as an umbrella group for Lilly employees of Middle Eastern, North African and Asian background that have an affinity toward the Middle Eastern culture. Our areas of focus are to:

  • Provide networking, learning, mentoring and development opportunities for members of the group.
  • Celebrate and raise awareness of the Middle Eastern culture within Lilly and Indiana.
  • Increase awareness of the accomplishments of Americans of Middle Eastern background.
  • Work with other affinity groups to forge stronger ties and foster Lilly’s commitment to create an inclusive and diverse work environment.

Network for Emphasizing Abilities First (NEAF)

The Network for Emphasizing Abilities First (NEAF) creates an environment of inclusion by helping to create awareness about and educate Lilly employees on the abilities, yet differences, of individuals with varying challenges. NEAF’s objectives focus on awareness and education programs for all Lilly employees. Individual groups that make up NEAF:

  • Deaf Community
  • Hard of Hearing
  • Physically Unique
  • Individuals who support these areas (Lilly employees who have family members within these realms)

Organization of Latinos at Lilly (OLA-Lilly)

The OLA organization will be seen and appreciated as a valued partner in Lilly’s diversity initiatives. It will provide Lilly and external communities access to diverse talent and perspectives, while providing its members with valuable services and resources. OLA-Lilly priorities include:

  • Professional Development
  • Awareness
  • Internal Networks
  • External Community

Veterans and ServiceMembers at Lilly (VSL)

The VSL affinity group will work to enhance the leadership culture at Lilly by actively promoting the understanding of military/service culture.

  • To foster relationships with the military and veteran community in Indianapolis.
  • To provide networking and educational opportunities to the veteran community.
  • To support alignment with corporate objectives regarding effective partnership with military stakeholders.
  • To support veterans in transition.

VSL is committed to bringing together the community of veterans.

Women's Network (WN)

The Women’s Network strives to be a catalyst for creating an environment that leverages the unique strengths of women to benefit Lilly and our patients. Our goals:

  • Be a resource to women and to the corporation to ensure Lilly’s success.
  • Connect Lilly women to external opportunities and expertise.
  • Harness differences internally to benefit patients externally.
  • Create a unified, global Women’s Network to connect and leverage expertise and content across subgroups.

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