Avantor’s Culture of Inclusiveness and Belonging

Avantor is deeply committed to creating and growing a fully inclusive culture that celebrates diversity and provides equitable opportunities for all associates to grow and succeed. 

Avantor’s values of innovation, customer centricity, accountability, respect, and excellence are the foundation for how we work to set “science in motion” — to create a better world and incorporate our dedication to inclusive behaviors.

We also hold ourselves accountable for enabling a diverse, high-performing, and inclusive culture as part of our “Science for Goodness” sustainability program. One way we achieve this is through our Associate Centric Teams (ACTs), which aim to elevate the voices of Avantor associates, highlight community concerns, create programs and initiatives to support allies, and further promote respect and inclusion in the workplace.

Our ACTs, which are developed with guidance from Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) leadership to ensure we best reflect our associate population, are sponsored by Executive Leadership Team members and supported by active participation from leaders across the organization. With the launch of three new groups in 2022, Avantor now has eight ACTS. They include — Global Black ACT, Diverse Abilities ACT, PRIDE Network ACT, Women in Business ACT, VETS ACT, ALMA ACT (Avantor Latinos Moving Ahead), New Professionals ACT, and Pan Asian Middle East ACT.

Avantor’s ACTs have engaged more than 3,100 associates as of July 2023. These groups have hosted numerous high-quality DEI events throughout the year, reflecting their diverse interests, including celebrations recognizing Women’s History Month, Black History Month, and PRIDE Month.

In addition to honoring key holidays or days of appreciation, ACTs help identify and establish internal and external business partnerships for cultural knowledge sharing and networking. They also partner with Avantor’s community engagement team to identify opportunities to give back to communities in alignment with the company's corporate social responsibility strategy.

The ACTs also foster relationships with external thought leaders to identify potential internal guest speakers, as well as opportunities for Avantor representatives to speak at external events. ACTs help support Avantor’s strategy for creating a diverse pipeline of talent at all levels within the organization.

A few recent examples demonstrating the diverse range of activities led by our ACTs to engage and support Avantor’s associates and our communities include:

• “Building a Mental Health Culture.” A forum led by the Diverse Abilities ACT, which aims at helping all “diversely-abled” associates thrive at Avantor.
• Our Global Black ACT commemorated Black History Month at Avantor via a knowledge-sharing discussion with Dr. Tommie Smith, a world-class Olympic sprinter who famously protested U.S. racism and human oppression on the winner’s podium at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. 
• The U.S. West Chapter of Avantor’s Women in Business ACT lent strong hands-on volunteer support to “Science is Elementary,” a Northern California community program inspiring kids in summer school programs by assembling over 500 experiment kits. 

“Guided by our values, we are fostering a culture that welcomes and celebrates people with varying perspectives and experiences — from our senior leaders to our associates,” said Noël France, Senior Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Avantor.

“Workplaces that are truly diverse and inclusive earn deeper trust and commitment from employees,” she added. “This environment also contributes to our growth. What better way to outpace our competitors than by respecting the unique needs, perspectives, and potential of all our team members?”