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Meet & Greet: Rebekah Martin, Senior Vice President of Reward and Inclusion at AstraZeneca

Interviews

Diversity and inclusion LGBTQ+ ally

In this week’s Meet and Greet interview myGwork member and LGBTQ+ ally Rebekah Martin shares some of the powerful initiatives that are helping to create an environment where people feel safe to bring their authentic selves to work at AstraZeneca. She explains why psychological safety and rewards are fundamental to supporting inclusion and the sense of ‘belonging’ at work. She also provides insights into her role as Senior Vice President of Reward and Inclusion, as well as a glimpse into her social life. 




 

myGwork: Can you tell us a bit about your career journey to date?


Rebekah: I studied and initially trained as a biochemist before qualifying as a specialist employment lawyer. After several years in private practice, I joined the legal department at AstraZeneca in 2011 where I worked across a range of specialisms including employment law and IP litigation. 

 

Staying within AstraZeneca, I moved to my current role in the HR team in April 2018. As Senior Vice President for Reward and Inclusion, I’m responsible for designing and implementing the company’s global inclusion and diversity strategy. It’s not that common to have responsibility over both Reward and Inclusion. My role is about driving performance by helping our employees contribute to a high-performing team and be the best version of themselves, which happens when they are valued and rewarded for differences they bring and make.

 

Innovation is at the heart of the biopharmaceutical industry, and I believe that to support this, we need to foster an inclusive culture with diverse teams – made up of people from different backgrounds who think differently to one another. It's all about valuing every aspect of diversity. The connection between diversity of thought, innovation and performance is something I’m very passionate about. 

 

myGwork: What's the most challenging aspect of managing people right now?


Rebekah: It’s crucial to create an environment where people can reach their full potential. One where employees feel like they belong and connect with the organisation’s purpose. Part of the challenge is building an inclusive environment where people feel safe to be their authentic selves. When people feel like they belong, they become more confident to speak their minds, challenge the status quo and suggest new ideas. This element of psychological safety is fundamental to supporting the sense of ‘belonging’, and this in turn encourages open and honest dialogue amongst colleagues, teams and managers, and sparks innovation. 

 

Another aspect to this is being able to tap into how reward and inclusion can motivate people. Reward is extrinsic motivation, incentivising and recognising people who make a great contribution to the workplace, whilst inclusion provides intrinsic motivation, giving people that inner drive and feeling that they can make a difference. It’s important to value and reward people for the differences they bring and ensure both are balanced to carry equal weight.

 

myGwork: What attributes do you look for in new recruits and why?


Rebekah: For our industry, incorporating cultural understanding and contributing to the societies we operate in is the right thing to do, and helps us understand patient needs to act accordingly. The best way that we can go about this is through attracting, retaining, and developing diverse talent for an even more diverse culture. Inclusion and diversity are embedded end-to-end in our talent acquisition process and feature prominently on our careers site and social channels. Working hand-in-hand with hiring managers we consider the current composition of the team we’re hiring for and think about what might be missing, or what might strengthen the team in terms of difference and different thinking. This helps to get the right candidates in the mix. 

 

myGwork: How important is LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace for you personally? 


Rebekah: Creating an environment where people feel safe to bring their authentic selves is very important. As a company, our efforts in support of the LGBTQ+ community are always evolving. We encourage regular dialogue between employees and leadership because these conversations matter to help people feel empowered, represented and heard. In fact, AstraZeneca CEO, Pascal Soriot, chairs our global Inclusion and Diversity Council, which plays a key role in driving our inclusion and diversity strategy.

 

Our global Employee Resource Group, AZ Pride, is dedicated to empowering the LGBTQ+ community and drives Pride celebrations which we recognise as a company every year. Having an inclusive culture, where inclusive behaviours are the norm, provides that open, safe and nurturing environment that’s needed for a diverse workforce. I strongly believe that diversity without inclusion isn’t going far enough. From what I’ve seen throughout my career, when you embed an inclusive culture, diversity will be the natural outcome.

 

myGwork: What's your favorite inclusion campaign to date and why?


Rebekah: For the last few years, we’ve held a global Power of Diversity event, where we came together to share, recognize and celebrate our differences. It allows us to take part in an honest and open conversation about the power of diversity and the role that every employee can play in building a culture that champions inclusion and diversity.

 

During these weeks, we ran a series of activities exploring the importance of inclusion and understand the role all employees play in fostering this culture. In the past, topics have ranged from systemic racism to addressing healthcare disparities. 

 

We also ran our #ThisIsMe campaign which began with LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies sharing their personal experiences and perspectives. Giving people an understanding of their colleagues’ experiences, both inside and outside the workplace, was a really powerful way to foster understanding across the business, and reinforced why it’s important that we create an environment where everyone can show up to work as themselves. These global events contribute to our inclusive, diverse environment by strengthening workplace relationships and sending a clear message that all differences are valued and appreciated.

 

myGwork: How do you encourage staff to have a work life balance, especially with the increase in remote/hybrid working?


Rebekah: Personal wellbeing is essential, and we look at it in a holistic way that enables us to create an environment where everyone feels safe, healthy, motivated, and able to perform at their best. We look to find meaningful ways to support our employees. One example is through our volunteer programme ‘The Power of Us’ where we encourage employees to donate their time and resources to the causes that matter most to them. As a people-focused organisation, we recognise the importance of individual flexibility and fostering a culture of community and belonging that allows our people to be their best. We encourage managers and employees to work together to establish the level of flexibility needed based on their job responsibilities and personal commitments. 

 

myGwork: What's the biggest highlight of your career to date and why?


Rebekah: It would have to be the last face-to-face meeting we had of the Reward & Inclusion Centre of Excellence. In three days, we went from a team where many people had not previously met in person to a team where people had been inclusive, showed up as themselves and invested time in getting to know one another – we had a lot of fun, as well as getting work done. The buzz in the room as we closed the event and I saw people say goodbye to one another, as friends rather than distant colleagues, really gave me enormous energy and was very rewarding.

 

myGwork: What was the last book you read? Any interesting take-aways and would you recommend it to fellow leaders? 


Rebekah: The last book I read was Naked at the Knife Edge by Vivian Rigney. It’s a book about leadership and the power of vulnerability, inspired by the author’s expedition to climb Everest. It offers a different perspective on leadership qualities, and I’d encourage any current or aspiring leaders to give it a read.

 

myGwork: What was your last holiday destination and where do you plan to visit next?


Rebekah: I went skiing in Italy. I am very much a beginner on the slopes, so my family looks after me and encourages me to be brave – I find it a great way to spend quality time together. My next holiday will be a camping trip in France; I love getting back to nature.

 

myGwork: What do you to unwind at the end of a hard day?


Rebekah: I like to go for a run in the countryside with my two Border Terriers.

 

You can find more about Rebekah and connect with her here.

 

 Check out some of myGwork's other recent Meet & Greet interviews, including:



 

 

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