Opportunity in Zoetis, a Global Veterinary Medicine Company
Evelyn Rios Ortiz, Chief Talent, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at Zoetis Inc. talks about why Zoetis is a thriving environment with opportunities for Latinos.
What’s your role at Zoetis and what are some of your long term goals?
I lead a team focused on developing and championing the strategy for DE&I. We work across the business with leaders and teams to ensure our DE&I focus is embedded throughout our company, a part of our culture and reflected in our business goals and processes. In the long-term, I hope to see our work help create a diverse organization that represents the communities where we live and work. We want every colleague to bring their best and whole selves to work and know that they are valued not only for what they contribute, but also who they are as individuals.
Can you tell us more about Zoetis’ most recent expansion of DE&I?
In 2020, we amplified our focus on DE&I and we are taking concrete actions to attract more diverse candidates and foster a more inclusive environment through new partnerships with organizations that represent and support underrepresented populations like INROADS, Management Leadership for Tomorrow and MANNRS; development of our own colleague resource groups; and increased training and education on DE&I topics for our colleagues.
We are at the early stages of our journey and change won’t happen overnight, but we are continuously learning and the actions we are taking speak to our commitment to DEI as a leader in the animal health industry.
What do partnerships mean to you and what are some of these current partnerships you’re working with?
I believe partnering with outside organizations and institutions is critical to expanding and diversifying the talent pool for our company and industry. It’s also an opportunity for our business and colleagues to give back to the wonderful communities that we are part of.
Some of our current partnerships include:
Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANNRS) and INROADS, organizations that help underrepresented high school and college students learn about career paths and opportunities.
For me, personally, as a Latina from Newark, NJ, I am especially proud to be partnering with INROADS, and especially the INROADS College Links program, which helps students find a path to college success and career opportunities. I recently spoke to almost 50 high school students in Newark as part of this program and I am humbled to be in a position to now serve as a mentor to the same community I grew up in.Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), an organization focused on ensuring underrepresent- ed talent is represented in leadership pipelines.
Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), an organization focused on ensuring underrepresented talent is represented in leadership pipelines.
Nurturing our long-standing partnerships with colleges of veterinary medicine to support leadership and diversity among future veterinarians.
Supporting the future of the veterinary industry through the Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Program, in partnership with the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), which focuses on addressing the issue of student debt, as well as the need to foster diversity in the profession (Zoetis has provided more than $7 million in scholarship through this program).
In addition to these external partnerships, we are also very focused on ensuring our culture provides a supportive environment where all colleagues can thrive by:
Expanding our colleague resource groups to bring together colleagues who share similar backgrounds, experiences or interests to help us work toward our DE&I goals. These groups are already a critical voice of influence on our DE&I priorities, and will help us reach additional candidates who may not normally think of Zoetis as a potential employer.
Broadening our own thinking about the skills, job requirements and places where we typically recruit.
Helping our managers learn new skills that will help them be more inclusive in talent management practices, including hiring and talent development.
Can you tell us more about the Latinx CRG and some of its initiatives?
While our Latinx colleague resource group (CRG) is still in its formation stages, the group has developed objectives to grow membership, enhance Latinx cultural awareness within Zoetis, and start external outreach. In 2021, the CRG has plans to celebrate Latinx culture and identity throughout the year with fun regional facts, food, culture and entertainment, as well as focused efforts during Latin Heritage month.
The group is also planning career development sessions for its members this year, and starting external outreach through volunteerism activities and connecting with other companies’ employee resource groups to exchange best practices.
Why is Zoetis a thriving environment for Latinx professionals?
Very importantly, Zoetis has shared our DE&I aspirations publicly to hold ourselves accountable for making changes and increasing the number of Latinx colleagues, and we are making progress. Zoetis already has an amazing culture founded on a set of Core Beliefs that value integrity, respect and impact. One of our Core Beliefs is “Our Colleagues Make the Difference,” and we also like to add that their differences make us stronger.