A pioneer in its sector, Chiesi Farmaceutici became Società Benefit (Benefit Corporation) under the Italian law in 2018, by changing its bylaws to ensure that Chiesi always considers a stakeholder-driven perspective and the impact of its decisions on its workers, suppliers, customers, the community, and the environment.
Chiesi USA also became a Benefit Corporation in 2018 and in 2021, Chiesi France became the first French “Société à mission” (SAM) in the health industry.
To better evaluate progress concerning its social and environmental impact, the Chiesi Group engaged B Lab in June 2019 to conduct a B Impact Assessment of its work. Scoring an 87.5, made Chiesi the largest pharmaceutical Group to obtain a B Corp certification.

The year 2020 was already challenging for me both professionally and personally. My mother’s health has been a major worry throughout the pandemic, as she is bedridden. She lives in Russia, and due to travel restrictions, I am no longer able to visit her. We are communicating only through video calls and it is incredible to me that even now she is the one supporting me with her optimism, saying “Everything will be okay”. During the first lockdown in Austria on March 22nd we received news from Zagreb, Croatia, stating that the worst earthquake in 140 years in Zagreb’s history had destroyed parts of the city, among them the neonatology and pulmonology clinics at Rebro Hospital. Images showed young mothers on the street holding their newborns, still in their hospital gowns and trying to keep them warm in the minus two-degree cold. Premature babies in incubators were neatly on the street, people standing left and right to them wearing masks and winter gloves. The big wish to support the people in Zagreb led us to use savings from our expenses budget (cancelled events due to Covid-19) in the amount of 200,000 euros, and transfer it as a donation to Zagreb, a uniquely high contribution in the history of our company. Our request was met with immediate and positive response by Chiesi’s top management. News of this help was felt in Croatia as a sign of exceptional human solidarity. In that moment I felt my mother’s words to be truer than ever, and it demonstrated to me once again the important values in life, such as empathy and health.

Tatjana Romanova Head of Multi Country Organization (Balkan, Baltics, CIS, Mongolia), Chiesi IMDD

Our values and behaviours form the basis of our company’s culture and are the drivers of our energy. They are Chiesi’s soul and they guide our everyday actions and relationships. In 2020 we felt the need to re-align and refine those values in order for them to live alongside our shared value perspective more coherently. Our values are reinforced by our B Corp and Benefit Corporation status. Our values are declinated as above.

I have been working at Chiesi Czech Republic as Product Manager Primary Care for three years. When I started this job, I did not have any idea how my position would change in 2020. In January, we planned our big seminar “Day of Inspiration” for our physicians, as back then we had no idea what was awaiting. As Covid-19 hit, everyone felt the stress and fear of the virus. We had to stop visiting our physicians and the seminars were gradually cancelled.
The Czech Republic Team and I wanted to find a solution to support health care specialists during this hard time. Everything with Covid-19 was new. We decided to organise the first Chiesi online event where we would showcase our recommended procedures called
“Situation in doctor’s office in time of pandemic Covid-19”.
It was very emotional to see how sharing such important information could have an impact in people’s lives. Throughout the year, we continued to prepare other Covid-19 webinars to support our physicians and Czech hospitals working on the front line.
I'm happy to be working at Chiesi Czech Republic with such a great team. I wish that everyone could work in similar organisations which authentically care about people. I wish good health to everyone in these difficult times.

Pavlína Janovská, Product Manager Primary Care, Chiesi Czech Republic

As we embark on the Decade of Action, it is crucial that businesses adopt an active role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our commitment to SDGs stems from a deep sense of responsibility regarding our impact and, at the same time, an important awareness of the role of business in fostering the transition to a long-term sustainable economic system. While we recognise that the 17 SDGs are all equally important, we have determined that our contribution can be higher for the nine above, which we have embedded in our strategic plan.

2020 saw overall revenues totaling €2 billion 229 million with an increase of 11.8% compared to 2019

I am very fortunate to be married to a wonderful wife, be the proud father of four young adults in higher education and work for a B-Corp Certified Company, Chiesi, who are looking after us all very well in these extraordinary times. Outside of work, I am a local councillor, chairman of my local village hall committee, and a sports coach. As well as looking after the local community I am also passionate about protecting the environment. I am a lifelong member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and more recently have been offsetting my carbon footprint by growing and planting trees.
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in early 2020, I decided to further help my community, family members, neighbours, and vulnerable and older people in need locally. I have been making phone calls, offering support, dropping off shopping and hot meals, picking up prescriptions, running people to surgeries, making emergency hospital runs, leading walks and cycle rides, and feeding sheep and hens for people – all in spite of snow and bad weather! Over the Christmas and New Year’s period I also helped organise zoom calls for older people to connect with distant family members.
It has made our family so happy to be able to use our free time to help these lovely people and they have in turn enriched our lives. When my wife who is a front line school teacher contracted Covid-19 it was heart-warming to receive food, support and well-wishing calls from the very same kind, lovely people we had been helping.

Mark Murphy, Account Executive - Styal, Chiesi UK

Discover more on:
https://www.chiesi.com/en/chiesi-group-receives-diversity-leaders-award-2021

Our story is connected with Rare Diseases and in particular with patients with Thalassemia Major.
Our relationships with these patients through their organization – Association “Organization of Thalassemia patients in Bulgaria” have been established many years ago. Our partnership started in 2009 when Ferriprox became available therapy for Bulgarian Thalassemia patients.
Last 10 years Chiesi Bulgaria was supporting the Association in many and different activities: patients’ psychological training, educational projects for patients’ families, informational printing materials, participation in different meetings and events, promotional campaigns for blood donation, etc. For the last 2 years – 2019 and 2020, we have the chance to be part of different support programs for these patients.
As you know Thalassemia patients have problems with reproductive functions because of chronic anemia conditions and iron overload. As a result, they are experiencing difficulties in fertility functions and a need for specific genetic examinations to assure the delivery of a healthy child.
Medical center “Repro Bio Med” with their fertility program takes care of this special group of patients for the last 7 years with amazing results.
2 years ago Chiesi Bulgaria made a decision for an annual financial donation of this program for genetic testing. We are happy to give a small contribution to this miracle process. In confirmation results – 11 Thalassemia patients gave birth, 2 of them with twins, and currently, 3 patients are in their third trimester of pregnancy.

Tony Petrova, Office Manager, Chiesi Bulgaria

Represents the products and services that enable the treatment of respiratory pathologies, from newborn to adult populations.

Focuses on the treatment of patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases

Combines products and services that support special care provided by medical professionals and consumer-facing self-care.

In a year where Covid-19 was the protagonist, I had the chance to closely accompany the story of Noah Higón. As a 22-year-old girl diagnosed with seven rare diseases, none with available treatment, Noah has become a major reference for the entire Spanish rare disease community during the last few years. Just before “We Act Day” (Chiesi Spain), the day we celebrate our commitment to sustainability, Noah had a severe health issue that admitted her to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), struggling between life and death. As Chiesi, we wanted to do something special to make her smile and feel good during her recovery, so we bought Noah’s book, “De que dolor son tus ojos”, for every Chiesi employee. It made her day to know that we had purchased 290 copies of her book, since the profits contribute to the research of Rare Diseases. Shortly after, magic happened, Noah recovered from the ICU; she had won yet another battle. We had the chance to meet her shortly after her release from the hospital. All employees of Chiesi Spain had the opportunity to virtually meet her in a webinar where Noah taught us an impressive life lesson: No matter what happens, we all have the chance to feel alive and, most importantly, to really have an impact on life and in the world. At Chiesi, we reached our main goal: To make her smile.

Rosa Horri Cano Communication and Sustainability Specialist, Chiesi Spain

- Delivering on business continuity and protecting our patients during the pandemic;
- Committing to treat the rarest diseases with our dedicated Global Rare Disease Business Unit in Boston (USA);
- Supporting our patients and their caregivers beyond medicinal products;
- Working to improve patient access to healthcare, together with our stakeholders;
- Forging new R&D and technology-driven projects in order to better answer patients and caregivers’ needs;
- Investing in a low Global Warming Potential (GWP) propellant for our inhalation products;
- Develop a Life Cycle Perspective (LCP) approach to mitigate the environmental impact of our therapeutics.

To continue access to treatment for rare genetic disease patients, even during the most restricted phases of Covid-19, Chiesi Brazil supported a local project called Day Hunter - Contingency Plan for Covid-19, promoted by the Brazilian Association for Hunter Disease. The project offered ambulatorial support to infusion centres, providing patient transportation to the centres, qualified team and awareness about Covid-19. The services offered in this project were an important step to strengthen Chiesi’s relationship with the local rare disease community, as well as to fulfill our role as a B corp.

The survey was developed with a group of key opinion leaders, including a behavioural psychologist, and distributed to 500 asthma patients. From the results, a comprehensive campaign, called “Getting it off your chest” was developed. It included infographics and a video, to help educate healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the impact of living with asthma, in order to better support their patients. The materials have been viewed by over 3000 HCPs over 2020/2021 with a publication in a peer reviewed journal planned for 2021.

2020 was a year of loss and that hit hard those that are most vulnerable, including, for example, charity institutions that saw their donations decrease during the pandemic. To help some of these institutions, Chiesi launched a competition among employees to present and vouch for their favourite institution they believed was deserving of the ‘grand prize’.
Having a daughter with down syndrome, I put my case forward, sharing how crucial early stimulation is for kids like this and the impact on the disabled person and family life. I presented the APAE (Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional People) institution for children with disabilities. Unfortunately, APAE did not win the contest, which is ok since it went to another great NGO! During the whole process I felt accomplished and happy to share my experiences. I was very happy with the messages of affection, warmth, and respect from colleagues.
Then, out of the blue, the love came! As a request from my colleagues, Chiesi invited all employees to make a donation to APAE and whatever amount was collected, Chiesi would donate an equal amount to the institution. I have nothing but gratitude towards Chiesi, my colleagues, family and especially my daughter. Who, through her life, has allowed us to demonstrate that everyone is unique, that we must respect each other’s time and believe in their potential.

Thais Stadnik, Sales Representative, Chiesi Brazil

Out of our R&D investments

I have been working in Chiesi R&D for about 20 years and for a year now I have assumed the position on “mom working remotely”, a role that I found myself filling unexpectedly but with courage. During these very difficult times, I have tried to accomplish all of my obligations to the best of my abilities, trying to find balance and concentration even when my baby daughter would sing and dance close to me or tell me she was hungry in the most unlikely hours; or worse, when I also had to turn into a teacher, to support home-schooling. But the hardest part was when my daughter came next to me crying, not understanding why she could not see her grandparents and friends. I had to manage her emotions, when I could hardly manage mine, a sense of loneliness, despair, uncertainty. And so the days passed, days without time. I received great comfort from the Chiesi community, as day after day I realized that many other colleagues faced and managed my same situations and emotions. We were all heroes. And we went ahead, joking at the beginning of a meeting to downplay the situation. That promoted the sense of belonging to a reality we believe in and care about, in our projects, in our group. And today, a year later, the storm is not over yet, and we are still tightening our teeth and closing our eyes inside the Murkami sandstorm (cit. ‘Kafka on the Beach’); without realizing it we will be out of it, we will not even know how we did it but we will certainly come out changed, for the better.

Romina Osello Respiratory Technical Leader, R&D, Chiesi Headquarters

Since 2019, Chiesi France has been the main sponsor of a recycling initiative called “La Collecte Gaia’’ in collaboration with Fondation du Souffle, a major French respiratory health-care professionals association. Our role is to develop an awareness campaign targeted at general practitioners, pulmonologists and pharmacists through our medical representatives’ network. In 2020, the campaign reached 2.20% of devices collected among 15,000 tons of unused drugs returned to pharmacies.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the world moved into an unknown era that compelled us to adapt ourselves to a new way of life. I have always believed that every end is a new beginning, and there is always a positive way to overcome any crisis. I think that this crisis taught us how to focus on the essentials: Health, people and planet.
As a member of the GICT - Global Information & Communication Technologies family, I have been inspired by many green initiatives that have been happening in France:
— Green IT presentation during We Act Day, led by François, to develop awareness
among users to reduce the environmental impact of IT;
— ICT Sustainable purchasing initiative, led by Fabiana, which aims to propose an environmentally friendly IT purchasing policy;
— ICT equipment recycling initiative, led by Christophe, to propose sustainable solutions for IT equipment end of life;
— Rechargeable batteries initiative, led by Nathalie, to implement rechargeable batteries for keyboards and mouses to reduce the amount of battery waste in the plant and soon in our HQ.
With all these great things happening here, I wondered: what if we share all these good practices with all our colleagues and make it more impactful? According to the “humming bird legend,” regularly mentioned by Patrice Carayon, President of Chiesi France: Every action counts! With the support of the GICT French team and the support of our manager, Eric, the initiatives were shared with our group CIO Umberto, who supported us immediately and shared it with the whole Chiesi group as a worldwide Program: ICT Sustainability. I am very proud to work on sustainable ICT and to be part of Chiesi, a company that encourages sustainable initiatives.

Yousra Choukrani, Applications Specialist, GICT, Chiesi France

We are the first pharmaceutical company in the world to use this new carbon minimal technology in large scale industrial processes.

Discover more on:

https://actionoverwords.org

We transferred the whole Czech Headquarters to a newly built green administrative building certified by the world’s most respected building sustainability certification system. LEED-certified buildings use less energy and water, avoid waste, save on maintenance costs, improve indoor air quality, offer comfort to their occupants, and create less environmental burden on the community. In addition, the Headquarters of Chiesi Slovakia was relocated to a new space in a building which holds an A category energy performance certificate according to a national rating scheme which summarises the energy efficiency of buildings.

In March 2020, Greece faced the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic with a sudden and strict lockdown that obliged everyone, including patients that suffer from chronic respiratory diseases to stay home. Many of our patients were terrified since the virus attacked the lungs, their most fragile organ. In Chiesi, we couldn’t stay with our arms crossed! It’s part of our DNA at Chiesi to put patients first and offer care and support. We responded immediately by expanding our existing #happyBREATHday digital COPD awareness campaign online and on social media (Facebook, YouTube & website) under the auspices of the PanHellenic Respiratory Society. The initiative aimed to inform COPD patients, their families and caregivers about the Covid-19 virus, and give them information on the measures they should follow to protect themselves, especially those with high-risk medical conditions, and the importance of adhering to their treatment. By mobilising key opinion leaders, members of the PanHellenic Respiratory Society, we managed to create a series of posts & videos. The awareness was high and the campaign reached more than 1.4 million people on the #happyBREATHday Facebook page. We felt rewarded not only because we could give people information but because we also received recognition by winning two silver awards in the categories “Prevention and Disease Awareness Campaigns Award: Respiratory Diseases” and “Improving Health: Improving Patients’ Life Award” at Patient Partnerships Awards 2020 to crown our commitment to serving patients and the community. I am proud to be a member of this great team and member of the Chiesi family!


Giota Giannopoulou, Respiratory Project Manager, BU Primary Care, Chiesi Hellas

* The total number of employees includes long-term employee absences and therefore differs from the total number of employees reported in the Consolidated Financial Statement (equal to 5,856 at 31st December 2020) in which long-term employee absences are excluded, and it differs from the total workforce (equal to 6,389 on the 31st December 2020) in which external collaborators (field force contractors and ad interim employees) of the Group are included and long-term employee absences are excluded.

I would like to start my story by sharing my greetings and love. I have been a proud member of the Chiesi family for 12 years working at Primary Care Field Force. During these 12 years I have taken part in many projects that have brought value to myself and the Chiesi Family. It makes me happy and honoured to witness doctors helping their patients with innovative and novel products and bringing them back to their normal life.
During these years I have been an amateur photographer, taking photos of wildlife & birds. In 2020, I received an invitation from The National Geographic to take wildlife photographs in Costa Rica. Shooting would last at least 2 weeks; but I had no time off and it was a very busy time of the year for Field Force. My manager encouraged me to conduct the shoot. He said that my individual development and love for nature is very valuable to Chiesi.
From Costa Rica, I was then invited to 9 countries and a Turkish channel ended up calling me to prepare a documentary in Salt Lake. Mr. Fatih Donmez who is the minister of energy and natural resources in Turkey supported me in sending this documentary to all public bodies in Turkey. As a result of my work, I received the Green World Award and was able to host an exhibition of the photographs. All the earnings obtained in the exhibition were donated to village school students.
If it weren’t for Chiesi and their constant encouragement to add value to my professional, but also to my personal and social life, I would never have had this amazing experience. I would like to thank and offer my gratitude to our general manager Mr. Umut Meric, PC department director Serdar Temel, HR director Mari Bengi, BEX director Mine Senyuva, PC sales manager Toros Yildirim, regional managers Hakan Tas and Huseyin Sezer and all the members of the big Chiesi family for their understanding, tolerance and support. I am a Chiesian.

Fahri Tunç, Primary Care Product Specialist, Chiesi Turkey

In 2020, our HR & Development department made a detailed analysis of the gender pay gap, being the first company in the Country to perform such a robust work. The male / female ratio in the workplace is already at very good levels in the Netherlands, where women are slightly more represented than men. In terms of ethnicity, in the Netherlands there are already quite a lot of employees with different ethnic backgrounds. The next step is to formalise a diversity policy.

I recruited my family and friends for a Meal Packing Day to benefit hungry Cambodian communities. The event supported Feed My Starving Children, which combats malnutrition in 70 countries by providing nutritious meals to vulnerable communities.
My team worked at packing stations, assembling all the ingredients necessary for easy-to-prepare meals, developed by nutrition experts. All ages participated, from the smallest children who couldn’t reach the tables to teenagers who eventually overcame their embarrassment about wearing hairnets. Along with the adults, everyone had a meaningful task. What became a bit of competition resulted in every station having its own victory chant when a box was filled. It was a competition to see how many lives we could impact.

Laura Shaeffer, National Strategic Business Liaison, Chiesi USA

CEM teams across the whole organisation have put in place several contingency measures to support the health and well-being of employees, patients and partners, following guidance provided by institutions and the World Health Organisation. These actions are focused on four main areas of activity: protecting, sharing, informing, and training.

A constant two-way communication channel with our employees, sharing updates, video training and messages helped to inform our colleagues on the scenario changes and to respond to requests for information.

We identified an essential workforce whose physical presence was indispensable on site to maintain the continuity of the operations.
We provided the technological support and equipment necessary to ensure that all other Chiesi team members were able to work from home. For all employees who continued to work on-site, rigorous processes have been implemented to protect their health, including guidance on social distancing and new hygiene protocols in addition to existing routine safety and security procedures.

Our Field Force, whose daily job is to keep a face-to-face dialogue with Health Care Professionals, found themselves in a world were travelling and in person meetings were suddenly no longer allowed, therefore we needed to completely rethink their way of working. We then created an opportunity for them, turning reduced job hours into useful training time in areas such as:
— Stress management;
— Preparation training to return to the field;
— Language training;
— General soft skills training, such as communication skills.

“Lockdown caught us all by surprise. Everywhere there was fear of the virus
and yet, for us who work in production, staying home was not an option”.
Giuseppe

“80% of the staff’s presence is required. So, we immediately implemented change. We
put staff into morning and afternoon shifts to reduce the number of people working together at the same time and Chiesi set up an emergency team (CEM) to help keep staff informed as well as protected. In the beginning of the lockdown, I felt safer at work than anywhere else. We were part of the lucky few that had full protective gear”.
Giuseppe

“ It was incredible to see how everyone responded with a strong sense of duty to the task at hand. We had to adapt to a totally different way of working to what we were used to”.
Katiuscia

“There was no complaining about coming to work, instead there was a growing sense of pride and responsibility arising from the team, because we all knew that our job was
essential; the medication we produce saves people’s lives”.
Paola

“We felt an immense sense of teamwork, everyone dedicated to making sure their part was done so that their colleagues could continue the work in the following shift ”.
Alessandra

“We made sure that we were there for everyone, using tools like WhatsApp groups to stay connected and to make sure that we created a support network for all of the staff. It was not easy, but we certainly had proof that we are a united group with a strong sense of belonging and desire to get work done. It’s as if Chiesi really is made up of a bit of every one of us”.
Alessandra

Giuseppe Impellizzeri, Paola Azzeo, Alessandra Capuzzi and Katiuscia Zanacca, Global Manufacturing Division, Chiesi Headquarters

https://www.chiesi.com/flipbook.php?url=https://www.chiesi.com/documenti/30_code-of-interdependence.pdf

As the understanding of the Code of Interdependence is central to the work we do with our suppliers, we produced a short film explaining the Code. This made the Code more accessible and made it easier to engage with our suppliers. Ultimately, this has resulted in our ecosystem of partners and suppliers beginning to commit to the Code. As one of them explained: “I really like working with Chiesi because you are pushing me to learn more so that I can offer other customers more sustainable solutions”.

Honghe is a poor city located in the Southeast of Yunnan, China, where the majority of the population are ethnic minorities. It is a melting pot of culture. Since this area is located in a remote region of China, sharing the border with Myanmar, the fragile economic condition worsened due to Covid-19. In response to the government’s goal to lift such areas out of poverty, Chiesi China, together with the Shanghainese government, visited Honghe to identify a meaningful way of supporting the community living there. During one of these visits, we were touched by a group of high school students, all children of migrant workers. They live and study in difficult conditions due to the families’ low financial incomes. We were saddened when told that most of them had never even had a celebration for their birthday. On a warm September night, Chiesi employees organised a birthday party for these students. We decorated the school’s playground, we sang songs together, gave them gifts and screened an Italian movie for them! Initially, they were a bit shy but gradually we got to know each other and ended up having a wonderful evening. For most of them, it was their first Birthday party. A memorable and touching moment for them and for us. We all had teary eyes! We were happy to give them this, and we believe that this love and care is essential for their future.

Xie Feng Legal, Compliance and Social Responsibility Director, Chiesi China

We feel the urgency to spread the shared value culture with all our business partners so that the use of business as a force for good is amplified and the care we seek to provide our patients enhanced. In light of this ambition, our International Markets Development Division organised a contest in which partners were asked to produce a list of all the sustainability actions they were undertaking in their countries. The winner would receive a grant from Chiesi to support its sustainability journey and efforts.

Four companies presented projects, and IMDD decided to award not one but two grants to:

- Chiesi’s partner in the United Arab Emirates, New Country Healthcare, which identified and implemented several sustainability projects based on the SDGs, and had undertaken the first step towards becoming a B Corp;

- Chiesi’s partner in Lebanon, Sadco, which identified and implemented a set of waste reduction, recycling, energy conservation, and “green procurement” activities.

One of the biggest challenges that came was the sudden change of lifestyle for everyone and the impact that this had on people’s mental health. We realised that in order to help our employees and reduce their level of Covid-related stress, we needed to focus on both their physical and mental health. This insight led us to create, free of charge to all employees, virtual psychological therapy. The initiative was extremely successful, helping our employees and their families to better understand their feelings, anxieties and how to manage the new normality.

I have the joy to work for a company that lives under the B Corp principles and has sustainability at heart. We use the Code of Interdependence to begin conversations with suppliers and set our sustainability standards; it is a clause that goes in every contract and is made public on our website for everyone to see. In November 2020, we organized a virtual launch event of the Code of Interdependence and invited 100 of our more important suppliers. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we were overwhelmed to see that over 70% of them were already working with the principles of the code, working towards more sustainable business, using for example recycled materials, using FSC certified paper that accounts for environmental compensation. We could see that we were all going on the same path of the same journey. And it showed us that we can keep pushing; we need to keep setting ourselves higher goals and once that goal is met, set other ones. Our fleet for example is now 85% ethanol based and we aim to soon be at 100%. Once that is accomplished, we will aim to be 100% electric, and so on! The Code of Interdependence sets the standards for the business of the future and Chiesi Brazil is being recognized by the market for its efforts and our B Corp values give us a shining differentiator when it comes to sustainability.


Ronaldo Santos Silva Procurement Manager, Chiesi Brazil

The Code of Interdependence is not just a slogan, for us it’s part of our DNA. It is our way of contributing to the world supporting the advancement of our sustainability initiatives as well as empowering our people and our value chain to embrace change. Implementing the code started from within - we had to first make sure our people were onboard - first aligning what it meant, how it would impact and influence our work.
We then had to bring our suppliers on the same page; identify the right suppliers to include in our network; explain the code and deal with all of the resistances to change. We did this by bringing them to the thought that we are all interdependent, we all live on the same planet and are fighting for the same goals! With the suppliers, we started creating supply tenders, putting the code as the heart of the tender; whoever could better meet our shared values. For the suppliers that do not meet our standards, we practice transparency and show them why they were not selected to work with us. This helps to show them what kind of company we are and that we stand upon our beliefs and values. It has been a great journey and we are making steady progress. I love change and I feel that I am in the right place if I want to see things changing; Chiesi is a leader in the market and we are all about pushing the limits, setting standards in sustainability and practicing in- novation that walks the talk and just not stays on the “trend” and “must-dos”.

Eunice Tang, Procurement Manager, Chiesi China

The initial months of the Covid-19 pandemic were a huge disaster around the globe, and in Pakistan, it was no different. Many people lost their lives and jobs. People had no food, medication, or any source of income. It was heartbreaking to witness such difficult situations. Chiesi Pakistan decided to give a helping hand to the suffering communities around us by creating the “Food Bags” project. We prepared daily food boxes with basic needs for families. We invited them to come to collect the “Food Bags” from our Chiesi facilities. For some, we distributed the bags directly to their homes. I identified underprivileged and daily wagers around my area as well as some people Chiesi works with in need of help. While distributing the bags, I met a family with severe debt that they had incurred to pay for their daughter’s cancer treatments. Sadly, she did not make it. The father was a taxi driver who could not pay back the debt while covering the costs of his household. We therefore helped them with the groceries, and I also made sure I cleared all their debts. Had it not been for the “Food Bags” programme, I would not have met them, nor would I have been able to help. This story deeply touched me and brought me real contentment. I relieved someone else from a burden and brought back a few smiles to a whole family.


Mehreen Obaid Manager Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance & Pharmacovigilance, Chiesi Pakistan

- 512 hospitals
- 68 charities and volunteering associations
- 343 institutions, associations, universities, and public bodies
- 397,731 medical devices and Personal Protective Equipment

In order to do so, we engaged healthcare professionals (HCPs) to support each other by sharing Covid-19 knowledge to best inform COPD patients, families and caregivers on the measures to follow and importance of adherence to treatment. Furthermore, we enriched the #happyBREATHday digital COPD campaign by integrating it with interviews and guidelines offered by Pulmonologists to patients with COPD on how to treat themselves during the pandemic. In addition to this initiative, Chiesi Greece sponsored a radio spot in partnership with the Hellenic Chest Disease Society to increase the awareness of COPD. Lastly, we collaborated with the Panhellenic Respiratory Society to ensure HCPs’ participation in an online event on World COPD Day.

From the onset of the Covid-19 emergency, we adopted the necessary containment measures in our headquarters as well as across all affiliates.
Protecting, sharing, informing, and training on relevant topics have been the pillars of the work carried out by the teams.

March 2020. Coronavirus is striking hard worldwide. We go into lockdown, and at that specific moment, we don’t know much about the virus, so we must wait and see what will happen in the coming days and weeks. A few weeks later, it becomes clear that the virus would remain in our lives for a while, and we start to feel the consequences. Everyday things are no longer possible, like visiting Health Care Professionals (HCPs) for example, in a moment when they really needed support. But we wanted to reach out and thank them for being in the front line of this battle every day.
We created a campaign to thank our superheroes. The campaign was conducted extensively in our social media, print, and internally. We also had the messages printed on postcards with handwritten letters of gratitude to our care heroes! At the end of the year, as infection rates were up again and HCPs went back on the battlefield, with hospital pressures rising, we ran another campaign. This time, we asked an artist to develop a personalised Christmas card to send out to all healthcare personnel to put them in the spotlight once more.
The impact of this action was great. We received many lovely reactions, both internally and externally. It also gave me the opportunity to be more in touch with HCPs, which is particularly unique given the Corona crisis. This is what Chiesi Belgium stands for: being there for each other in times of need #proud #superheroes.

Chloë Beerten, Sales Representative, Chiesi Belgium

“We have made our experience and our people available to collaborate with foreign authorities. Chiesi China organised a webinar attended by 70,000 European doctors in conjunc- tion with Chinese doctors. This was a fruitful opportunity to exchange precious information on the management of the current pandemic.”

Davide Dalle Fusine, General Manager Chiesi China

- Environment and health: help and educate people to take care of their health and the environment
- Community development: commit to the social, economic, cultural and environmental development of the communities where we live in
- Emergency: help those in emergency situations in the Group’s reference countries

- 215 colleagues participated in one or more modules
- 380 enrolments
- +700 hours of volunteering work performed

The GASP (Global Access to Spirometry Project) focuses on the development of specific clinical skills for the diagnosis and management of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).


https://www.chiesifoundation.org/en/

The NEST (Neonatal Essential Survival Technology) model whose aim is to reduce neonatal mortality

https://www.chiesifoundation.org/en/

Besides my work as a dedicated office manager and PA, I am also highly committed to various B Corp and We Act projects. I love to roll up my sleeves and engage in initiatives that will help preserve our planet. I think it’s only natural to want to take care of our planet. At Chiesi, I am given the opportunity to put this into practice. I actively contribute to making the way we do business more sustainable from the inside out, including climate campaigns like this one. That is why it makes me so happy to say that on July 9th, 2020, a forest we funded thanks to Chiesi Netherlands came to life! I am proud to be part of creating an initiative like this! The forest counts thousands of trees and helps increase biodiversity as well as address climate change. This moment created a sense of renewal, optimism, and cheerfulness inside our Company, mainly because it shows Chiesi’s values: innovation, optimism, good spirit, and concrete positive actions for our home planet.


Judith Disbergen Office manager and PA General Manager, Chiesi Netherlands

Other key players of the impact committee
- Global Rare Diseases
- Legal & Corporate Airs
- Corporate Health Safety & Environment
- Global Human Resources

Chiesi USA and its employees provide financial and volunteer support to this regional programme, addressing food insecurity among North Carolina’s Research Triangle region students. Many of these students depend upon free school breakfasts and lunches for their daily nutritional needs. Focusing on elementary schools, with which Chiesi partners, nutritious meals are provided to students over weekends and when school is not in session. More than $42,000 were donated by Chiesi USA, and employee volunteers regularly packed and delivered meal kits. During the 5-month programme duration, Chiesi’s contribution delivered 5,600 bags of nutritious food to families in need.

“When suddenly the world becomes small...” This was the beginning of the unexpected lockdown that made me face loneliness as I had never experienced before. To distract myself from the fear of Covid-19, I spontaneously decided to begin daily walks in the nearby countryside, and slowly I discovered the great healing power of Nature! I started to observe nature around me more carefully, and my appreciation grew day by day. Nature helped me to rediscover positivity, increase my concentration and creativity at work and remove my anxiety.
My daily contact with nature made me appreciate even more the work that Chiesi is doing. One example is Consorzio KilometroVerdeParma, a reforestation project in which we actively contribute on the Parma territory. A great initiative which we hope to expand in the following years. For sure, at the end of the lockdown I had learned the missing words to complete the opening sentence: “When suddenly the world becomes small, nature becomes so precious that you take care of it passionately...fully in line with one of Chiesi’s values.”

Patrizia Dogni, Congress & Event Specialist, IMDD, Chiesi Headquarters

Chiesi China supported autistic children in Shanghai and others with heart diseases in Xinjiang through employee volunteer activities and donations. Caring for the well-being of the people in our community is one of our goals. Not only does this kind of activity help children live better lives and recover from their disease, but it also increases the profound understanding of our employees on the importance of our mission.

- BreatheVision2030: is a collective initiative driven by European Level Patient groups and respiratory societies collaborating for better respiratory health care and protection of our lungs. The vision has been created to address the deficit of European-level policy with respect to respiratory health, as well as the need for a unified voice on this topic.
https:// www.breathevision.eu/


- Rare 2030: Chiesi is involved in the development of this patient-led multi-stakeholders foresight study for rare diseases policy to propose policy recommendations to improve the policy context at the EU and national level.


- Pendulum: Chiesi completed a macroeconomic study called Pendulum - to benchmark the societal costs of rare diseases in the US against those of common chronic disorders. It also provides a quantification of the societal benefits brought about when pharmaceutical treatments for these diseases exist.

As Chiesi employees we have been supporting the “Szlachetna Paczka” campaign for years, which aims to help those in need. Just before Christmas private individuals raise funds and buy food, clothes, furniture for families in need. One of our colleagues Jolanta proposed an offer to her supervisor in Chiesi – will Chiesi double all the funds we raise as employees? Her offer was accepted, Chiesi said whatever you can raise amongst employees, we will double it. The collection exceeded everyone’s expectations!
The donations raised by the employees were given to a family chosen by Jolanta. A family of 4 in a very difficult situation- lack of basic products and job losses due to the Covid-19 epidemic and debt. When they received the parcels we delivered they remained speechless. They thought the gifts
were for several
families, not just for them. Food, toys, furniture and removing Christmas paper from each box caused another wave of euphoria in both children and parents.
The funds donated by Chiesi were given to the SOS Children’s Villages foundation. We were able to purchase a laptop for one of the children under the care of the foundation. Thanks to this, each small donation made by an employee of the company made it possible to give happiness to several people for Christmas. Big things start with small initiatives and it’s all about the people, as we might all be different but everyone of us is Chiesi. It’s simply worth it to help!


Wojciech Potoczek, Digital Manager, Chiesi Poland


In the picture: Jolanta Wagrodzka, Administration Specialist, Chiesi Poland