At Halma we believe building diverse and inclusive teams is not just the right thing to do, it also improves performance and accelerates growth. An inclusive culture strengthens a company’s ability to thrive and grow, by bringing together different perspectives and spotting new opportunities.
SunTech Medical is an example of a Halma company that has prioritised building a diverse and inclusive culture. It’s a leading manufacturer of high-performance, clinical-grade motion tolerant blood pressure technology. Headquartered in North Carolina, in the largest science research park in the US, SunTech has been serving its customers for over 30 years. Recently the company’s growth has accelerated, by acquiring a company with new capabilities, expanding into new markets, and broadening its product portfolio to target new customers.
When the company set out its new strategy two years ago, it prioritised diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) and put people at the heart of its growth strategy. Through a combination of education, targeted recruitment, and investment in new facilities, this approach is paying off, with record growth for the year.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion will always be a smart investment. We know that diversity grows the bottom line and that it’s better for business. We’re investing in our culture and workplace to succeed in the emerging talent market and position us for continued growth”, says SunTech’s President, Rob Sweitzer.
A third of SunTech’s Executive board is now made up of women leaders, who are heading key commercial functions in talent, marketing and sales. This is in contrast to four years ago when the board was all male. The leadership team is also more diverse in terms of ethnicity, age, and experiences, which has led to more diverse thinking in other areas of the business.
A good example is the team led by Corey Szumski, Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Corey started out her career on the Halma Future Leaders Programme, which seeks to place high-potential college graduates onto our company boards within five years of them joining the business. Corey joined SunTech six years ago before being promoted to the Board in April 2022 and she has brought a new, valuable perspective to the Executive team.
SunTech also recognised that building a culture of inclusion means improving the employee experience to attract diverse talent. The company has recently relocated to a new facility to create a more open, inclusive work environment to enable this. The new facility includes a fitness centre, a wellness room which can accommodate nursing mothers, additional private areas for production staff, as well as increased outdoor space. Along with this, SunTech offers a hybrid working schedule and has taken measures to support their employees with the cost-of-living. In addition, new parents, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, can take 14 weeks of paid parental leave thanks to Halma’s global parental leave programme. So far this year, seven colleagues from SunTech, including Corey herself, will benefit from this policy.
The benefits of all these efforts are now starting to come through at SunTech, with higher employee engagement, improved decision-making, and better performance. By putting people at the heart of its growth strategy, SunTech is attracting more diverse people to the business and seizing new growth opportunities as a result.
