This year, Zurich Pride has called for dialogue under the motto «Let's talk about it». Several thousands of supporters took part in the LGBTIQ festival. The Swiss-based employees of AstraZeneca and Alexion were also there as cooperation partners with a colourfully decorated truck.
An estimated six to ten percent of the population is queer. This corresponds to around 500,000 people.1 Queer people are not heterosexual or do not assign themselves to any particular gender identity. With the annual demonstration parade through Zurich city centre, the association «Zurich Pride Festival» campaigns for acceptance as well as equality of the LGBTIQ way of life in public and in everyday life.
AstraZeneca and Alexion employees in Switzerland took part in the parade in Zurich with a truck. The procession led from Helvetiaplatz across the city to the barracks area. There was a unique atmosphere with happy people and great music.Great emphasis was placed on the commitment and cohesion of the entire team.
Sexual orientation equality in the workplace
«Diversity and inclusion are an important part of our corporate values and are actively lived. Our workforce is diverse and we place great emphasis on inclusive approaches. The last internal survey showed that 99 percent of our employees experience equality with regard to sexual orientation in the workplace. That is why we want to show our commitment together with our partner Alexion and take part in the event together as a team and as cooperation partners,» says Katrin Lipp, Human Resources Director at AstraZeneca Switzerland.
Strengthen dialogue within the company
To encourage additional exchange within the company, the entire month of June is dedicated to Pride Month. AstraZeneca and Alexion invited guest speaker Alexander Wenger, Co-President of Zurich Pride, to give a presentation followed by a panel discussion. This way, the corporate values are strengthened in a lasting and future-oriented way on the basis of lived inclusion and diversity.
1 Zurich Pride Festival, https://zurichpridefestival.ch/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/230215_MM_ZHPF_Motto_Lass_uns_darueber_reden.pdf
Media contact
Tel. +41 (0) 41 725 75 75; media.switzerland@astrazeneca.com
Barbara Hess, Corporate Communications Lead, AstraZeneca Switzerland
AstraZeneca in Switzerland
AstraZeneca is a British pharmaceutical company that has been operating in Switzerland for almost 50 years. The company is one of the highest revenue pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland and operates in the following therapeutic areas: oncology, respiratory diseases and immunology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic disorders plus vaccines and immunotherapies, which also includes medicines for the control of COVID-19. The primary aim of the over 250 employees is to make new medicines available to affected patients as quickly as possible. In Switzerland, more than 240,000 people are treated with a drug from AstraZeneca. The company expects over 35 new therapies to be authorised by 2025. AstraZeneca has set itself the target of making the Swiss healthcare system more sustainable and more resilient. To make its contribution to a healthy planet and healthy people, the company is working tirelessly to reduce its CO2 emissions and waste. It has therefore set itself the target of becoming CO2-negative by 2030.
More information about AstraZeneca Switzerland: www.astrazeneca.ch
Alexion in Switzerland
Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, is the group within AstraZeneca focused on rare diseases, created following the 2021 acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. As a leader in rare diseases for more than 30 years, Alexion is focused on serving patients and families affected by rare diseases and devastating conditions through the discovery, development, and commercialisation of life-changing medicines. Alexion focuses its research efforts on novel molecules and targets in the complement cascade and its development efforts on haematology, nephrology, neurology, metabolic disorders, cardiology, and ophthalmology. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Alexion has offices around the globe and serves patients in more than 50 countries. Alexion Pharma Germany GmbH is located in Munich, Germany.
For more information, please visit: alexion.com/worldwide/Switzerland
CH-5741, 03/2022