Bayer strives for gender parity in all management levels by 2030, advances overall inclusion and diversity approach

Bayer is further strengthening its efforts to foster a more inclusive and diverse workforce and culture. By 2025, the company aspires to establish a 50/50 gender balance as an average across all combined management levels including lower and middle management (currently 40 percent women and 60 percent men). In the Group Leadership Circle (Top 540), which includes the Group Executive Circle (Top 75), the proportion of women is to be at least 33 percent by 2025 (currently 23 percent). By 2030, Bayer aspires to reach gender parity on each individual management level.

“Our sharpened talent management approach for identifying, attracting, developing, promoting and retaining talent will create an even more inclusive and diverse workforce that makes us a better company overall with an increased attractiveness as an employer of choice. Our goal of gender parity in management is also in line with our commitments to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and the G20 Empower Pledge,” says Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG.

”As we accelerate the transformation of Bayer, we will fully embrace the power of inclusion, equity and diversity,” says Sarena Lin, new Chief Transformation and Talent Officer at Bayer. “People are always at the center of this journey. I am excited to be working with our colleagues around the world to further advance our talent management approach. It will be applied broadly, fairly and in compliance with all applicable employment laws and regulations worldwide and across all management teams in Bayer.”

Bayer has the aspiration to significantly strengthen other elements of inclusion and diversity as well. For example, the composition of top management will increasingly reflect the national and cultural background of Bayer’s business footprint. All generations are to be represented appropriately within Bayer. The interests of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender employees will continue to be advocated at Board of Management level. The company will continue its efforts to advance regionally defined diversity elements such as ethnicity and race at the country level. Moreover, Bayer strives to increase the proportion of people with disabilities in the workforce to more than 5 percent by 2030. In Germany, for example, it is currently 4.5 percent. Bayer recently joined the global initiative “The Valuable 500,” which advocates greater inclusion of people with disabilities in business enterprises.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2019, the Group employed around 104,000 people and had sales of 43.5 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.9 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.