Meet Alinne Rosa, Sponsor of RX’s Global Race & Ethnicity Committee

Alinne Rosa, Group Vice President, Human Resources for RX Americas, tells us about the work of RX’s Global Race and Ethnicity Committee – why it was established, what prompted her to get involved, and what it has achieved during its first 18 months.

Q. How, and why, was the RX Global Race & Ethnicity Committee established?

A. The committee was established mid-2020, soon after the murder of George Floyd. Many of our employees stepped up wanting to do something to change this reality of racial injustice and inequity. Over 100 volunteered to join in a global effort to support equal opportunities for people regardless of race, ethnicity and origins, across both RX and the communities we serve. From this group, 10 were selected to form the first I&D global initiative of RX – The Global Race & Ethnicity Committee (GREC). They included representatives from the UK, France, US and Brazil and were chosen based on their level of commitment and willingness to drive change. We have since welcomed new Committee members from APAC and the Middle East, ensuring that our group is now truly global and representative of all our regions.

Under the leadership of our Global Director of Inclusion and Diversity Ray Rhodes, the GREC is now one of five RX Global Diversity Committees, with others representing Disability, Gender, LGBTQ+ and Age Diversity, all focused on delivering programmes that will help us to achieve our global inclusion goals for each of these diversity dimensions.

Q. What prompted you personally to get involved?

A. I was raised in Brazil, a country with systemic hidden racism, and I was always questioning why, in a country full of people from different origins, only the same ethnic group had the best houses, cars, jobs etc. As a kid, I never understood that. When I chose a career in HR, I quickly realized that I had a role to play in helping to change this reality. Racial equality is beneficial to all, leading to a healthier society where everyone has an opportunity to grow. As a leader, I have employed people from all backgrounds who had no direct experience, but who were ambitious to learn, and I can testify that they have proved themselves among the best of my team. For me, it is all about taking the decision to join the force in driving change. Anyone can do it!

Racial equality is beneficial to all, leading to a healthier society where everyone has an opportunity to grow.

Q. What are the committee’s goals?

A. Our work is focused on lifting Black and ethnic minority people in our company, our community, and through our events, to fully participate, prosper, and reach their potential. To achieve this we are committed to increasing awareness of issues related to race, ethnicity, and nationality within RX and the communities and sectors we serve, and to supporting positive professional and social interactions among our people, customers and suppliers of diverse racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds.

We are committed to increasing awareness of issues related to race, ethnicity, and nationality within RX and the communities and sectors we serve.

Q. Can you tell us about what you have achieved so far?

A. We have achieved a huge amount over the past two years, so I will just touch on some of the highlights! In 2020, RX committed to donate $1M over five years to selected not-for-profit partners around the world who are working to improve inclusivity and diversity in their local communities by supporting social change, fighting injustice and fostering development. We have partnered with RELX on our Supplier Diversity Programme and Portal, giving more opportunity to minority-owned businesses. We supported our US colleagues to launch the first AAN (African Ancestry Network) Employee Resource Group (ERG) in 2021. This is one of a growing number of voluntary groups throughout RX which provide focused I&D support in response to local company and community needs. We have piloted the Networx mentorship program in RX to help accelerate the careers of underrepresented races and ethnicities, starting it exclusively for Black Americans. This has now been extended to all diversity dimensions. And in December 2021 we hosted the first RX Global Race Forum, with the support of our charity partners, dedicated to sharing content and education about the history of race relations in the regions we serve, and how we can help change the narrative.

Q. What are your plans for 2022?

This year we will focus on education, building on the success of our Global Race Forum which was attended by over 500 of our people and incredibly well received. We believe that growing the education of the RX team around race and ethnicity, showing examples of how people can contribute, will lead us to have a more diverse workforce. Connected to education is communication ‒ we need to be more vocal to share the good efforts that are happening around the RX world. At the same time, we will continue to keep a close eye on our employee data, to chart our progress in growing underrepresented groups in our business.

Connected to education is communication ‒ we need to be more vocal to share the good efforts that are happening around RX world.