A testament to the company's commitment to workplace diversity and equality, Medtronic receives four 5-star awards for advancing Hispanic inclusion during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Medtronic receives these awards from The Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) and its Corporate Inclusion Index (CII) for the company's work to break barriers for Hispanic employees.
HACR's mission is to advance the inclusion of Hispanics in Corporate America at a level commensurate with their economic contributions.
Building a more inclusive future for employees
As part of HACR's CII's research initiative, companies have a standard to measures Hispanic inclusion in the C-suite, corporate boardroom, supplier base, mid- and entry-level employee pipeline, and philanthropic sphere.
Medtronic received four 5-star awards with top scores across all four pillars of employment, philanthropy, procurement, and governance - one of only two companies to achieve that goal.
“By investing in Hispanic representation, businesses like Medtronic are providing long-term shareholder value by building a more inclusive future for their employees, suppliers, customers," said HACR President and CEO, Cid Wilson.
Elevating Hispanic talent
Through partnerships like this, Medtronic elevates Hispanic talent and remains committed to work that eliminates barriers to excellence among employees representing communities of color.
Medtronic works closely with HACR to elevate the careers of Hispanic talent. In 2016, Medtronic launched a partnership with HACR to help amplify the company’s community impact and remove barriers to opportunity.
The goal was to increase Latino representation within corporate America by grooming Hispanic and Latino talent for leadership roles through programs like the HACR Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers™ program. The annual initiative focuses on corporate diversity, professional leadership advancement, and community engagement.
A leadership career pathway at Medtronic
Alina Vargas, is one Latina employee whose journey to becoming a leader was boosted with the help of Medtronic and HACR's partnership.
A Marketing and Communications Program Manager, Alina found support in the form of membership within the Medtronic Diversity Network Hispanic Latino Network (HLN).
Alina had leadership goals from the moment she began her career at Medtronic. But Alina's road to success has been winding. Alina knew she had the skills and the willingness to lead but was sometimes challenged by the Hispanic cultural norms she grew up with. They didn’t always translate in a corporate setting.
“Cultural aspects of leadership can be very different,” said Alina. “I wouldn’t speak up as much as others or call attention to myself.”
Alina's role with Medtronic was her first American corporate job, coming after an eight-year career at a company in Switzerland. That shift made the Mexican-born professional unsure about how to navigate the corporate world.
“The shift to working with people who didn't understand me, my culture,” commented Alina. “It was the first time I realized that I was different.”
Receiving support from leaders
Around the time she joined HLN in 2016, Medtronic had just launched its partnership with HACR.
Alina was among this year’s Medtronic employees to participate, nominated for that program by HLN leaders including Senior Compliance Program Director, Adriana Davies.
“When I met Alina two years ago it was clear to me her cultural background and also the function she worked in influenced how she was interacting with the team,” explained Adriana. “I wanted to help her to see herself beyond someone that works in a supporting function. She's a leader.”
Alina earned a spot in the competitive program as one of 73 young achievers from Fortune 500 companies throughout the U.S. in her cohort. Alina spent two months honing interpersonal skills including authentic leadership.
“It felt personal. Being surrounded by that many Latinos who are bright and smart and intelligent people,” Alina said. “And they represented professionals from across the U.S. and it was just like, wow, there's some power here. It was really motivating," said Alina.
Elevating talent at Medtronic
The program inspired Alina to take stock in her own development and many of the opportunities HLN presented. She started to redefine her personal brand and even took on co-leading a speaker series. She also started elevating her voice to help expand the influence of the network - all encouraged by Adriana.
“When I started my career, I wasn't invited at the table,” said Adriana. “I had to elbow my way to a seat, but now Latinos are getting access to more leadership roles. So, as an HLN leader, I can elevate people like Alina, who was a caterpillar but has earned her colorful butterfly wings.”
For Hispanic Heritage Month, Medtronic's HLN Network has been hosting several global and local events marking the network's theme of "Celebrating the power of who we are!” - with activity aiming to empower its talented community members to soar.
“Our culture is an asset and we’re continuing to learn how to let our culture shine," added Alina.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.