Name: Cal Rolle
Title: DEIB & Culture, Associate Director
Organization: Novo Nordisk Canada Inc
The theme of International Women’s Day 2025 is “Accelerate Action.” What does this theme mean to you personally and professionally, and how is your organization embodying it?
Accelerate Action” resonates with my personal dedication to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of gender, have equitable opportunities to thrive, contribute and feel seen as themselves without wearing a mask. When I consider why this matters personally, I reflect on the community I was raised in while growing up in the Bahamas. There were many strong female leaders in my life and community. One strong influence was my grandmother who modeled her values and how she was able to shine and elevate her family and future generations through grit, creativity, and a self-assuredness that still echoes through my family. In addition to my grandmother, the contributions and influence of strong female voices like my mother and aunts and women in the church shaped the lives of my family and rooted us in a deep value system often attributed to females. I have witnessed firsthand the power of women to make significant impact at home, in the community, and on the national stage, and I will always be an ally and advocate for the strength, resilience, creativity, and special magic that women exude. Professionally, this theme reinforces a set of principals Novo Nordisk believes in (our NN Way Essentials) and supports the proactive removal and prevention of barriers while championing strategies that promote gender equity. This theme underscores the urgency of advancing gender equity, and I am proud that at Novo Nordisk Canada, we embody this commitment through actionable initiatives designed to support, empower, and elevate our female colleagues in the workplace.
Can you share a specific initiative or program your organization has implemented to support women? What inspired its creation, and what impact have you seen so far?
One notable initiative is our partnership with Maturn, providing programs designed to support mothers through early motherhood and the formative years of growing their career while raising their family. This collaboration was inspired by the recognition of the unique challenges faced by working mothers, particularly during the transition to and from maternity leave. As a direct result of our 2021 Diversity Survey and the focus groups we conducted company wide, we learned from our employees about the moments in their lives that mattered most and where they needed company support. This theme of ‘parental support’ surfaced as we were still working our way collectively through the challenges of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Based on the survey and focus group results, our Executive Team tasked our People & Organization team to create the “Working Parents Initiative” team. We then asked a group of leaders from our Gender Equity Movement (GEM) Employee Resource Group (ERG) to lead this charge. It was through the work of GEM that we, as an organization were introduced to Maturn. Our ongoing relationship with Maturn allows us to provide resources, coaching, and a supportive community to female employees and empowers mothers to balance their professional aspirations with their personal responsibilities. The impact has been profound, fostering greater career progression, leadership opportunities, and systemic change within our organization.
How has your organization’s participation in Maturn’s programs supported women in your workplace? What outcomes or impacts have you seen as a result?
Our engagement with Maturn has yielded significant positive outcomes like: participants reporting increased confidence in navigating their careers post maternity leave, a strengthened sense of community, and enhanced leadership skills. This partnership has not only supported individual growth but has also enriched our organizational culture by promoting inclusivity and understanding. Through several lunch and learns and training sessions for our leaders, there’s been an increase in empathy for the experiences of our female employees and mothers while offering more space for dialogue and support. Enrolment in Maturn’s programs have yielded results like these below which are by no means exhaustive but a highlight:
- Motherhood Leadership Coaching Program Utilization: 21 employees participated/participating
- Maternity Leave Program: 18 employees participating
- MLCP Feedback: 100% reported it exceeded expectations
- Maternity Leave Feedback: 100% participants say the Maternity Leave Program has been very helpful in navigating their maternity leave
Additionally, because of our efforts to support women we have been recognized two years in a row by Women Leaders in Pharma with multiple nominations and several category wins.
Looking to the future, what bold steps do you believe are necessary to truly accelerate action for women in the workplace? How is your organization preparing to take these steps?
Some bold steps that should be considered to accelerate action for women in the workplace include and are certainly not limited to:
Policy Enhancement: Continuously reviewing and updating policies to ensure they meet the evolving needs of women, particularly in areas like flexible work arrangements and career development. At Novo Nordisk Canada we review policies regularly; and have in fact introduced new policies and supports for women and mothers at our organization based on requests and feedback as evidence in the introduction of Maturn and several other programs and benefits.
Leadership Development: Investing in programs that prepare women for leadership roles, thereby addressing representation gaps at higher organizational levels. Culturally, we also offer quite a bit of training and resources to our Leaders and all employees to operate from an inclusivity stance, honest feedback and coaching in the moment for optimal impact.
Inclusive Culture Building: Fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and inclusivity is woven into the fabric of our organizational ethos. This is somewhere Novo Nordisk shines as it’s already woven into our corporate fabric through our NN Way Essentials. We lead this way and have worked diligently to ensure all employees feel they can develop, thrive and have a sense of belonging at our company. This sense of strong culture was recognized recently when we were awarded two amazing distinctions as one of the 2025 Top 100 places to work in Canada, and one of the 2025 Top 100 places to work in the Greater Toronto Area.
In my role and with the support of Novo Nordisk Canada, we are continuously listening and remain agile for the needs of all our employees. It’s by listening that we have been able to and will continue to allocate resources, engage in continuous dialogue with our employees, and leverage the measurable goals to track our progress in advancing gender equity.
In alignment with our recognition as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2025, we remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a workplace where women are supported, empowered, and poised to succeed.
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