Pros
- The focus on patients is pervasive and sincere - Many smart driven colleagues, particularly those in mid-level positions that are committed to the work and to bringing life-saving drugs to market - Bonus potential is high
Cons
African Americans are used as tokens throughout the organization and are not given meaningful opportunities for visibility, promotions, and leadership. The environment at AZ can be cutthroat in general with others willingly throwing you under the bus, but with AAs - it's magnified because we are low hanging fruit, and others willingly accept a narrative that you are inferior and will use that to hold you back. You will constantly feel uncomfortable and excluded at AZ - this is both with respect to US and global teams in Gaithersburg, Wilmington, Cambridge, and other locations as I have worked across teams and offices. Diversity efforts are for show only and are largely focused on promoting caucasian women and checking the box on addressing diversity. You will not see any other AAs in leadership positions or even above a Director level. As I now am with another organization, while there is work to be done by everyone, there is a STARK difference in how my new organization treats AAs as compared to AstraZeneca I can't recommend AZ to another AA unless there is a major culture shift within the company.