LEADE RS H I P I N A C T I O N
President and CEO, CVS CAREMARK
LARRY J. MERLO Guiding our purpose
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t CVS Caremark, we serve millions of people through our CVS/pharmacy retail stores, our MinuteClinic locations, and our pharmacy benefit management business each and every day. Our customers, patients, and members come from a wide array of backgrounds that span a variety of cultures. In order to understand and meet their pharmacy health care needs, it’s vital that we have a workforce that reflects the people we serve. With more than 200,000 colleagues across the country, we pride ourselves on having a diverse workforce and work hard to empower all of our employees. To do so, we offer many programs and initiatives that celebrate the differences among our colleagues. Our Diversity Management Leadership Council (DMLC), which consists of 17 senior leaders, provides leadership direction for strategic diversity management initiatives across CVS Caremark and reviews the progress we’ve made toward our diversity goals in workforce representation, colleague engagement, talent development, and marketplace diversity. Our Board of Directors is provided with an update on our diversity initiatives annually, and our Board Members often share unique insights on how to continue to improve. “OUR CUSTOMERS, PATIENTS, AND MEMBERS COME One of our most notable diversity offerings FROM A WIDE ARRAY OF BACKGROUNDS THAT SPAN is our Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs). A VARIETY OF CULTURES. IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND Our CRGs are networks that give colleagues AND MEET THEIR PHARMACY HEALTH CARE NEEDS, the opportunity to share or support a particuIT’S VITAL THAT WE HAVE A WORKFORCE THAT lar ethnicity, culture, or perspective. We now REFLECTS THE PEOPLE WE SERVE.” have 12 CRGs with over 40 local chapters, including those founded by Latinos, African HEADQUARTERS: Woonsocket, Rhode Island Americans, Asian Americans, veterans, LGBT employees and, most recently, by colleagues with disabilities. The value EDUCATION: University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy of these groups is perhaps underscored by a decision to FIRST JOB: Pharmacist have all CRGs sponsored at the senior executive level. I am pleased to have recently become the executive sponsor of give colleagues the tools they need to meet and exceed their the Women’s Success Network, one of our company’s most personal and professional diversity goals. active CRGs, and look forward to working with this group CVS Caremark has been recognized for our diversity manthroughout 2014. agement work, something I’m really proud of. In fact, there’s With a workforce as large as CVS Caremark’s, helping not a day that goes by that I’m not impressed by how diverse all colleagues understand the ways in which our company our colleagues are, and how those differences truly inspire embraces diversity can be a challenge. In addition to introinnovation. As a company, it’s vital that we continue to ducing our diversity management strategy during new encourage our colleagues to embrace their differences with one employee orientation, we also offer diversity-focused trainanother and our customers. Doing so not only allows us to ing programs to all colleagues, both new hires and long-time deliver outstanding service and solutions, but also guides our employees, throughout the year. These training opportunities purpose of helping people on their path to better health. PDJ
PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL
March/April 2014
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