Two-star NaVOBA Corporate Member Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation’s commitment to its supplier diversity initiative and its solid performance in reaching out to veteran-owned businesses earned the company its third the tribute as one of the 10 Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses. Ludwig Hantson, PhD, Head of Pharma North America, and NPC’s CEO, said Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation said the award only strengthens the company’s resolve to bolstering its supplier diversity efforts.

"Veteran business owners, along with small, minority and women-owned businesses, bring unique skills and experiences to our value chain," Hantson said. "We are proud of this honor from Vetrepreneur magazine and our efforts in supplier diversity. We look forward to making even greater progress in 2010."

Marilyn Priestley, vice president of Diversity & Inclusion for NPC, said that Novartis, like most companies doing business in the 21st century, is sourcing services and products from a wider variety of suppliers than ever before.

"To stay competitive and to be the best, we believe that it’s vitally important for us to be as inclusive as possible when we cast the net for our suppliers," Priestley said. "That means sustaining our focus on building strong supplier relationships with a diverse group of suppliers. We are proud to include veteran owned businesses in that group and proud of the distinction we’ve earned by being named for the 3rd year in a row as one of the Best 10 Companies for Veterans.

Sheri Shafir, associate director for Supplier Diversity at NPC, said the company works so hard to find VOBs because these businesses understand what Novartis needs.

"NPC is proactive in its search for diverse suppliers who can deliver high quality and service, understand our regulatory environment, provide competitive pricing and add value to our supply chain," Shafir said. "We continue to grow our supplier diversity efforts which include small businesses, minority and women-owned businesses and of course, veteran and service-disabled Veteran business owners."

In 2009, NPC increased its spend on veteran owned business by 65 percent over 2008.
"We’re proud of the continuous improvements we’re achieving in supplier diversity," Shafir continued, "and we’re honored to be recognized for the third year by Vetrepreneur magazine."

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