Spotlight: Carena Spivey, Head of HR

Carena, equality, inclusion, and workplace diversity have long been in focus at Protagonist, as expressed through various programs and initiatives. Can you tell us about your approach?

We view our diverse and welcoming corporate culture as being critical to our long-term success – It’s essential to the way we innovate. And we regularly track and report our progress, because we believe that what doesn’t get measured doesn’t get done.

Today:

- 65% of employees are members of underrepresented ethnic communities

- 51% are women - nearly 50% of our Board identifies as a member of an underserved community or as female

What are you doing to help create a more diverse employee community?

We create the conditions for our employees to thrive, facilitating their learning and growth through a richly supportive workplace setting.

Part of that is creating a speak-up culture; we have cultivated an environment where every voice is heard, and we encourage the expression of different points of view in decision-making processes. At every turn, we encourage deep listening, thoughtful consideration, and open-mindedness that allows for decisions to be changed or refined in step with new data. By embracing our team members’ differences, we create wins for our organization and for patients.