Business for Social Good
Change Makers is a global initiative within Firmenich, founded by One Young World Ambassadors in 2016, to create change through mindset, action, and community. The group receives sponsorship from Firmenich’s executive leadership, and the core team presents to them four or five times a year. There have been 45 core members, all of whom are One Young World Ambassadors, managing a community of more than 500 Firmenich employees. The Delegates Firmenich sends to each Summit become the lead team of Change Makers until the next Summit cycle begins. Although the core team changes yearly, Change Makers actively maintains projects from previous years.
Change Makers has a consolidated goal each year, which is developed in consultation with senior leadership. In 2017, the team focused on fostering talent amongst young employees, providing them with opportunities for personal and professional development and visibility through mentoring and buddy programmes, community building, and the launch of a digital platform.
In 2018, Change Makers shifted focus to digital affairs, including digital initiatives and digital transformation. The project evolved to be more inclusive and diverse across all levels of the company, particularly broadening its age range, and organised sessions on the future of work. The 2019 iteration connected and collaborated with communities. The team focused on raising awareness within Firmenich on how employees could contribute to community-related initiatives. They organised external events, including an event with Cornell University on food technology, hosted workshops on wellbeing, promoted the Valuable 500’s disability inclusion initiative, and helped support 16 local communities through CSR outreach.
The 2020 core team integrated Firmenich’s business strategy alongside social initiatives. This resulted in development of PATH2FARM, which will trace Firmenich ingredients to ensure supply chain transparency through outreach to farming communities. Building on this, the 2021 team emphasised business transformation, embracing and assisting innovation within the company by participating on the company’s ESG Strategy for 2030 and China strategy. Finally, the 2022 core team re-engaged the Firmenich community following the COVID-19 pandemic by innovating their digital platform, creating a leadership development programme, and driving recommendations for ISCC Certification.
“I've always had a passion for creating meaningful impact, and attending the One Young World Summit provided me with a structured framework to approach this goal. Through my involvement in large international organisations, I realised the power that individuals possess to drive positive change on a global scale. Being a part of the core team was a transformative experience, providing me with valuable leadership skills and opportunities to interact with top-level executives and the CEO. Attendees of One Young World, sponsored by my employer Firmenich, continue to hone their skills and apply them within the company. Overall, the Summit and my involvement in the core team has been a truly enriching experience that has helped shape my career and my approach to creating a positive impact.”