Our Stories
Explore more about our purpose, our science, and our people at Sanofi and the communities we support and serve in Australia and New Zealand.
Integrating accessibility into the way we do business
We’re committed to accelerating all disability inclusion through accessibility, neurodiversity and mental wellbeing. And we take action. In Australia, Sanofi’s commitment and actions are outlined in our latest Accessibility Action Plan for 2024-2025 which is endorsed by the Australian Disability Network.
From our policies and programs through to services and workplace adjustments, we’re on a path of continuous improvement focused on our people and their families, so we reflect the communities we serve, and Sanofians continue to make a positive difference.
The new Action Plan focuses on four key priority areas: Leadership and Culture, Our People, Our Workspace, and Our Community. Each priority area includes short-term and long-term actions, and a governance process that integrates accessibility into the way we do business.
The commitment builds on the progress made since 2019 when Sanofi first partnered with Australian Disability Network and has been prepared in collaboration with our local Ability+ Employee Resource Group.
Searching for Breath, living with severe Asthma
With more than 2.5 million Australians living with asthma,1 most of us would have come in contact with someone with this condition in one way or other. Some will have experienced tightening of the airways and resulting wheeze; others will have a memory of a family member, friend, or colleague always with an inhaler in reach.
While the treatment of severe asthma has improved significantly with the advent of biologic therapies, the impact of this disease remains confronting and highly significant.
The challenge to improve the treatment of severe asthma starts with understanding the unmet needs of patients. One such patient is Rhiannon, a young woman from Sydney who describes an asthma attack during admittance to Royal North Shore Hospital as the “scariest moment of my life”.
“Even with medication, I was still going into constrictions every 20 to 30 mins. I had so little oxygen in me that I couldn’t even turn over to press the call button for the nurse. Luckily, I was in ICU and the nurse was in the room. I locked eyes on her. She knew I was in trouble and helped me out. I couldn’t breathe at all.” Take a few minutes to watch Rhiannon’s story, to understand the impact of severe asthma on her life.
1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Asthma. Updated August 2020.
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/asthma/contents/asthma Accessed March 2021
We are a Family Friendly Workplace
It is certified, Sanofi Australia is a family friendly workplace. The recognition is from Family Friendly Workplaces and means we meet the National Work and Family Standards as outlined by Parents At Work and UNICEF Australia. Most importantly, the achievement is based on our work environment and the experiences of Sanofians every day.
This certification is another step in our organisation’s ongoing gender equity journey. We have been accredited as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency and have been named one of the country’s Top 10 Workplaces for Dads.
We’re grateful to our gender equity employee working group for their ongoing work to help us always do better on the topic of gender equity.
Meet Dr Iris Depaz, Managing Director, Translational Science Hub
"When I was a young medical PhD researcher in Queensland, career options were generally limited to remaining in academia or moving into industry, where overseas markets presented the most excitement and opportunity. But much has changed since then and, through the efforts of many stakeholders, more talent is remaining in Australia to further their career.
By having the Translational Science Hub on the doorstep of medical researchers in Australia, PhDs and postdocs currently at the University of Queensland and Griffith University have the option to stay in Queensland while working on leading-edge translational research projects. These researchers have one foot in academia, another foot in industry, with opportunities to work with peers in Europe and the US so they build their global contacts, develop their commercial acumen and take more informed decisions about the next step in their careers, as well as complete their own research goals. It’s the sort of opportunity I would have enthusiastically jumped at when I was at university and I’m extremely proud to have played a principal role in making the Translational Science Hub a reality."
We support Return Unwanted Medicines
We’re proud to support Australia’s Return Unwanted Medicines program (The RUM Project) and their work preventing pharmaceuticals from entering the environment.
Over more than 20 years, The RUM Project has collected unwanted and expired medicines via pharmacy partners across communities in Australia to manage appropriate disposal.
Any medicines that are disposed of down the sink or toilet or put in rubbish bins can harm our environment. And the storage of expired and unwanted medicines in the home can be potentially harmful. The free and convenient service is available across the country, simply chat with your local pharmacist or visit returnmed.com.au to learn more.
Return Unwanted Medicines is a national not-for-profit company funded by the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Health to address the Quality Use of Medicines in Australia.
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Contact Us
Luke Cornish, Head of Corporate Affairs
luke.cornish@sanofi.com
+61 417 933 349