People | Social Responsibility: people above all

For Rottapharm|Madaus, carrying out its economic and production activities, taking into account the people involved and the social context in which it operates means to want to deepen the knowledge of its role, not only as an entrepreneurial entity, but also as a social one. It is important that performance goals – a natural part of it, being a company – are always accompanied by other goals such as care for the territory in which it operates, for the people who live there, for its collaborators and for all those who, directly or indirectly, associate with it.

• People in Rottapharm|Madaus: workers and associates
• Information to the public
• The local community
• Collaboration with ONLUS Children in Crisis
• Promotion of Art and Culture

People in Rottapharm

The Company currently employs more than 2000 workers in over 85 countries in the world.
Overall, approximately 8% of human resources is employed in the sector of research and development, 29% in production plants, 51% in the commercial sector dedicated to sales (both internal and external) and the remainder 12% in staff.

Workers and associates
Rottapharm|Madaus is implementing a system of management of health, safety and well-being in the work places that will integrate with the environmental sustainability and energy-saving system. The Group protects the safety and health of all of its workers thanks to a human resources management policy based on transparency, respect for people and the guarantee of a healthy workplace. A safe workplace for its workers is in fact a priority for Rottapharm|Madaus. Thanks to the strict application of security systems and procedures, accompanied by a continuous training of its workers the occurrence of incidents in the workplace has significantly been reduced along the years.

A workplace should not only be safe but also comfortable. Recently, the buildings of our headquarters in Monza underwent a radical restructuring and remodeling: a more modern and functional organization of the offices with substantial improvements in their sustainability (technologically advanced lighting |heating |air conditioning systems for energy saving) are the tangible results of the recent works of modernization.

To learn more about the remodeling carried out in the headquarters of Monza click here »

In a company, people play a fundamental strategic role for the success of every activity. Fully aware of this, Rottapharm|Madaus places priority on the training of all its workers and invests in its assets through the promotion and/or financing of professional training and updating courses aimed to maintain a high level of competitiveness. Caring for people also includes the benefits and perks that the company places at the disposal of its workers. Just to mention a few: the company cafeteria and reserved parking for the workers, while other services are already planned for the future.

Information to the public

The central role of people in the company mission is evident and part of its nature, but it does not exclusively limit itself to scientific research. As a matter of fact, Rottapharm|Madaus has long been promoting and conducting important initiatives capable not only of involving patients, but also institutions and associations for a global improvement of health. Campaigns of information and education on health of strong social and sanitary impact, awareness campaigns on the prevention of minor and major pathologies (among which Informiamo Insieme (Let’s learn together) against pediculosis, prevention campaigns on intimate hygiene promoted by Saugella, support for initiatives against smoking, in the prevention of couples’ infertility and to other topics of socio-sanitary interest).
Moreover, R|M has, for many years, been the promoter of an important educational project through the web portal benesseredonna.it and the magazine esseredonna.

The local community

Active commitment: this is how Rottapharm|Madaus’ philosophy of respect towards the communities that house its premises can be summed up, in a constant development and improvement perspective.

• Rottapharm|Madaus Fund for Science and Culture
  The Company has established the fund Rottapharm Science and Culture, at the Fondazione della Comunità di Monza e Brianza (Foundation of the Community of Monza and Brianza), for the promotion of science and culture in the territory of Monza and Brianza.
  
• The Social Guardian
  Rottapharm|Madaus gave its financial contribution for the creation of the post of social guardian to the city of Monza which accommodates the headquarters of the Group. This important social figure has the mission of caring for the lower socio-economic classes, giving support to families and citizens in social discomfort and preventing cases of loneliness, marginalization and social emergency (of the elderly in particular).
• Contributions
  Besides important contributions in the areas of artistic and cultural promotion and restoration of the territory (2001/restoration of the oil painting on cardboard by Mosè Bianchi, 2002/funding of the exhibition dedicated to Pompeo Mariani at Serrone della Villa Reale of Monza, contribution to Associazione Amici dei Musei of Monza, 2006/funding of the art installation of the Mexican artist Raymundo Sesma at MyOwnGallery of Milan), R|M has also offered the city of Monza mega installation Lo Scrittore by Giancarlo Neri in occasion of the bicentenary anniversary of the Park.
  
• Sport sponsorship on the territory
  With its brand Saugella, Rottapharm|Madaus is the official partner of Saugella Team, the female volleyball team of Monza.

Collaboration with ONLUS Children In Crisis

For years, Rottapharm|Madaus has been promoting and materially supporting a number of initiatives designed for the care of children in the neediest areas of the world, thanks to its cooperation with ONLUS Children in Crisis.

In May of 2008, the main project of this multiannual union began: the building of a professional training centre for girls in Liberia.

Introduction
Fourteen years of conflict in Liberia has had a devastating impact on school infrastructures and on the education of women, war’s main victims. Rapes and sexual violence have often been used as actual weapons, so much so that ONU estimated that in 2003, at the height of the war, Liberia had the world’s highest number of pregnancies among teenage girls. As a consequence of the war, besides the traditional premature marriages, currently, there is also a large number of single mothers who cannot attend school. Liberia’s unemployment rate is over 85%, with an even higher percentage for women.
This situation persists despite the great changes in the recent years: Liberia is now at peace, governed by a female president who firmly believes in the role of education for the rebuilding of the country.
In the last 2 years Children in Crisis has been working closely with the local association Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) to rebuild and equip two schools in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. The success of these projects has prompted Children in Crisis to continue the work, renewing its commitment with FAWE to ensure a quality education to Liberian women. How? With a large-scale professional training program in Montserrado and in the River Cess region. Children in Crisis is currently committed in supporting FAWE in the construction of a professional training center in the main town of the River Cess region, Cestos City. This location was chosen by FAWE because in addition to being one the traditional areas of activity of the association even before the war, it is situated in the South-Eastern region of Liberia, the most remote and the least served by NGOs.   

Professional Training
FAWE’s experience has demonstrated that many women do not have access to the traditional school system because they are single mothers. These women often not only need basic education but, above all, practical skills to earn their living independently. The professional training centre will accommodate 200 women and will include six classes, in which literacy and training at different levels will be covered. Simultaneously, three workshops for professional activities will be available. FAWE is selecting, through market analyses of the area, the activities for the courses so that the training can offer the women with ample skills to provide for a secure vocation at the end of the course. Among the subjects available will be: masonry, tailoring, carpentry, typing, and fish preservation techniques. In April of 2008, Rottapharm|Madaus confirmed its participation to the project: it will fully finance the building of the River Cess centre to improve the training activities and the literacy of young women in Africa. The estimated time for the completion of the building and the beginning of the activities it will provide is within one year, although the timing may be revised subject to the country’s own characteristics, where the rainy season, the state of the roads, the logistic difficulties to obtain cement and building materials may slow down the work.

See the photos of the Training Centre of River Cess »

Promotion of Art and Culture

Rottapharm|Madaus has for years been involved in important initiatives in the artistic and cultural field, both at the local and national levels. Valorizing the artistic patrimony of the territory, improving its fruition for the citizens, concretely contributing to the recovery and/or maintenance of what we have inherited from history are just some aspects of R|M’s commitment to art, a path that the company follows through contributions and funding, but also through direct promotion.

Babygella – Discovering Art Together
a project of national inspiration promoted by Babygella and directed to carry out initiatives to bring children and young people, together with their families, closer to the world of art and culture.

Among the initiatives promoted in the recent years are:

• National Archaeological Museum of Naples (2004) The first permanent didactic program in an Italian museum, produced thanks to the images and texts of Chiara Rapaccini in the form of a fascinating story.
• Poldi Pezzoli Museum of Milano (2005) Didactic journey through Audio-guides – Italian and English – to discover together, with Poldino the Ghost, the secrets of the museum’s rooms.
  
• I Re del Mondo – ovvero la Corona Ferrea rubata (2005) (The King of the World or the stolen Iron Crown) The book written by Roberto Piumini and illustrated by Gianni De Conno (Carthusia Publisher) that Babygella donated to all the schools of Monza.
  
• Il Fazzoletto Arancione (2005)(The Orange handkerchief) A short movie, directed by Paolo Lipari, made for school-age children. The movie, distributed at no charge to all of the elementary schools of Lombardia, teaches children a new way of understanding pictorial works, opening new windows to fantasy.
  
• La Pozzanghera - Micropaesaggio interattivo per bambini (2006) (The Puddle Interactive micro-environment for children) An amazing video installation of Studio Azzurro that portrays the magic cycling of the four seasons, accompanied with corresponding visual and audio impressions. A project realized thanks to the combined effort of the Assessorship for Culture of the City of Monza, Babygella and Studio Azzurro.
  
• Il Murale di Milwaukee di Keith Haring (2007) (The Mural of Milwaukee by Keith Haring) Babygella produced and offered all of the visiting children of the exhibition a mini kit to learn English with Keith Haring, while enjoying themselves and becoming young aspiring artists.
  
• Didactic workshops at the exhibition Ritratti (Serrone della Villa Reale of Monza, 2008) In occasion of the exhibition Mostrarsi e Apparire (Showing and Appearing), Babygella created a workshop intended for all of the youngest visitors, with a lot of thematic initiatives and games.
  
• Didactic workshops for children (5-12) during the exhibition of the photographer Olivo Barbieri (Serrone della Villa Reale of Monza, November 2008 – January 2009)

Teatro alla Scala di Milano
Rottapharm|Madaus is a supporting company of Teatro alla Scala of Milan

Financial support to associations that operate at the local (2005/ Cultural Association San Fruttuoso with the organization of the Christmas concert) national (Association Salute Donna) and international levels (since 2005/Children in Crisis, since 2001/Terry Fox Run);