Career Advice: Mecca Plunkett – Tips for Career Development

October 5, 2023
Written by Linda Bell

In this week’s installment of our Career Advice video series, Linda Bell, Head of Content at Fair360, interviewed Mecca Plunkett, CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellow at Eli Lilly and Company (No. 5 on the Fair360 2023 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list). Plunkett shared tips on career development, growing your career through continuous learning and how a commitment to equity can improve the employee experience.

2024 Top 50 Companies

Eli Lilly and Company

David A. Ricks

Chair, President & CEO

Embracing diversity, equity and inclusion is all about the pursuit of excellence. To deliver the new medicines patients need, we need the best people from all backgrounds to bring their best ideas and be heard. We’re building an environment where there’s equality and inclusion for everyone. Not only does it make us a better company, it aligns with our core values.

Kelly Copes-Anderson

VP, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

DEI is a capability that we all need to build. To make a difference in the lives of the more than 47 million patients who rely on our medicines, we must all play a part in driving a culture of inclusion and belonging–where all feel seen, supported, connected and proud.

From the Company

Marking its fifth consecutive year on the Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, Lilly believes diversity, equity and inclusion paired with innovation help the company discover and deliver life-changing medicines.

Lilly’s commitment to DEI enables us to better deliver on our purpose of making life better for people around the world.

In 2022, we:
• Created CEO-sponsored leadership development programs focusing on U.S. minority group members and LGBTQ+ employees
• Increased mentorships to more than 5,800 pairings
• More than doubled 2020 spend with Black suppliers to $358 million in 2022 and engaged Black business enterprises supporting the advancement of underrepresented businesses

Between 2017 and 2022, the number of women in management increased globally from 41% to over 49%. Representation of minority group members in U.S. management positions increased from 16% in 2017 to just below 25% at the end of 2022.

Lilly’s Racial Justice Commitment is driving change, enabling more jobs for minorities through our professional apprenticeship program, Skills First, which has more than 90 participants and focuses on eliminating the degree requirement for specific roles.

In 2020, Lilly committed 25,000 hours of volunteer service over five years to support organizations working against racial injustice and its effects on communities of color. Lilly employees completed that commitment in 2022, two years ahead of schedule, volunteering more than 30,000 hours to date.