Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) has announced that scientists have again named the company a top employer in a survey ranking the reputations of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. This year Genzyme moved up in the ranking to third on the global list of nearly 500 companies, the highest ranking it has ever earned. Out of companies headquartered in New England Genzyme topped the list. This is the sixth year that Genzyme has placed among the top 10 of all biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
The survey, which was commissioned by Science magazine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), identified the top 20 companies with the best reputations as employers. More than 4,000 Science readers and other industry representatives participated in the survey. Genzyme earned the most votes in the following categories: innovative leader in the industry, a socially responsible company and having loyal employees.
"Our scientists are united by a common goal: to improve the lives of people who have serious diseases," said Alan Smith, Ph.D., senior vice president of research and chief scientific officer at Genzyme. "Because of their dedication and talent Genzyme will continue to develop breakthrough therapies."
About the Survey
Science and AAAS commissioned a web-based survey to determine the biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies with the best reputations as employers. For this year's survey, a mixed methodology was used. The first part of this methodology included e-mailed invitations to AAAS members, ScienceCareers.org registrants, and Science website visitors registered with AAAS. The second part of the methodology included an e-mail blast to more than 600 human resource contacts from the ScienceCareers.org database.
Survey respondents were asked to write in the names of companies they considered best, average and worst employers. They then rated these companies on 23 different attributes. Attribute categories included Corporate Image, Leadership and Direction, Financial Prowess, Work Culture/Environment, Work/Life Balance, Academics and Collegial Exchange, and Compensation and Benefits. Twenty percent of the respondents came from outside the United States, primarily Western Europe, and more than 90 percent worked in private industry.
"We believe that promoting an environment that encourages employees to take risks and is socially responsible helps to foster employee loyalty and attract new talent," said Zoltan Csimma, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Genzyme. "We are honored to be recognized as one of the top three companies in the world for scientists."
Genzyme is a leader in the effort to develop and apply the most advanced scientific technologies. Scientists working at Genzyme have developed novel treatments that are helping patients in more than 90 countries worldwide. The company is bringing new and next-generation therapies to patients with genetic diseases, kidney disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, as well as transplant and immune diseases. The company is also a leader in the development of diagnostic and genetic tests.
The survey results will appear in a special business supplement of the 10 October 2008 issue of Science.
For information about careers at Genzyme, please visit: http://www.genzyme.com/careers
About Genzyme
One of the world's leading biotechnology companies, Genzyme is dedicated to making a major positive impact on the lives of people with serious diseases. Since 1981, the company has grown from a small start-up to a diversified enterprise with more than 10,000 employees in locations spanning the globe and 2007 revenues of $3.8 billion. In 2007, Genzyme was chosen to receive the National Medal of Technology, the highest honor awarded by the President of the United States for technological innovation.
With many established products and services helping patients in nearly 90 countries, Genzyme is a leader in the effort to develop and apply the most advanced technologies in the life sciences. The company's products and services are focused on rare inherited disorders, kidney disease, orthopaedics, cancer, transplant, and diagnostic testing. Genzyme's commitment to innovation continues today with a substantial development program focused on these fields, as well as immune disease, infectious disease, and other areas of unmet medical need.
Genzyme's press releases and other company information are available at www.genzyme.com.