Our culture

If you talk to people who work for Boehringer Ingelheim, you’ll hear many of them mention a unique environment or atmosphere and a ‘place’ that they belong. That’s no accident. It comes from a culture that we create and nurture, and that touches every aspect of what we do. Both within the company and in the wider world. It’s summed up in what we call Our FOCUS: our cultural framework, describing who we are and what we strive for, why we exist and how we work together. Building upon this, we have our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Sustainable Development frameworks. 

Our FOCUS – our cultural framework

We are family-owned, which means that we are independent, and intend to stay that way. Inspired by our purpose of transforming lives for generations, we are driven by the desire to serve humankind by making millions of lives better - human and animal, all over the world. We call this philosophy ‘Life Forward’. For us, planning in generations, with a focus on long-term performance, also includes deeply felt respect for communities and resources. 

We develop breakthrough therapies and healthcare solutions in areas of high unmet medical need. For our customers, for patients and their loved ones and for society. We want to excel in innovation – breaking new ground to deliver the highest quality. We know innovation does not happen in isolation. That’s why we partner for success. To ensure the sustainable economic health of our company and make continuous innovation a reality. 

None of this would be possible without the people working at Boehringer Ingelheim. We are powered by our people and nurture a diverse, collaborative, and open environment to thrive in. We see our differences as our strengths. Working with integrity and passion, treating each other with respect, trust, and empathy, and growing together. We drive results by being collaborative, purposeful, innovative, and ready to act fast to deliver a win. Read more here.

Diversity, equity & inclusion

When you join Boehringer Ingelheim, you bring your unique ideas, life experiences, skills and more into a truly global collective of 53,000 employees from 133 nations in 176 affiliates around the world. We want to ensure that those diverse ideas, different perspectives, and experiences are heard and valued here. That each and every one of us is heard and valued here. We know the strength that difference brings not only to our business but to the communities around us. To make that happen, we make sure we cultivate inclusive leaders, provide equity for our employees, and create a safe and open working environment where we can share our ideas openly, experiment, challenge, give feedback, and learn from each other. 

It's embodied in our Global Code of Conduct, which demands that we treat each other with fairness and dignity at all times and stand firmly against discrimination and harassment. It’s manifested in annual action plans with specific targets to ensure that we make measurable progress. It’s reflected in our commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. And it’s embedded at grass-roots level by our well-supported voluntary employee resource groups.

We strongly believe you will notice that commitment and feel a sense of belonging – in all our offices, in all our interactions, in every aspect of our business. Read more here. 

Sustainable development 

At Boehringer Ingelheim, ‘Sustainable Development – For Generations’ is about a journey: one that started in 1885 and one that will never end. That’s because we will always strive to be better: develop better therapies, enable better health care solutions, and contribute to a better world. Not just now or for the next generations to come.  Read more here.

We are driven by our ambition to improve human and animal health, now and in the future.