Brought to you by PrideVMC Diamond Partner, Zoetis.
“I don’t think you can go to Pride without smiling” said Zoetis U.S. colleague Daniel Edge, DVM, MBA, MSc, Director, Medical Affairs for U.S. Petcare, who joined Dr. Dane Whitaker, DVM, MPVM, President, PrideVMC, on Instagram Live earlier this month. “The whole thing is just a fun, amazing, extended family experience.” The two met for a virtual discussion to talk Pride Month, how Pride celebrations have changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and how Zoetis 
celebrated Pride Month this June. This year’s events were markedly different from past celebrations at Zoetis, as this June was their first Pride Month since the development and expansion of Proud and Welcome (PAW)— a dedicated colleague resource group for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies—making it feel like Zoetis’ and PAW’s “first pride” in many ways.
celebrated Pride Month this June. This year’s events were markedly different from past celebrations at Zoetis, as this June was their first Pride Month since the development and expansion of Proud and Welcome (PAW)— a dedicated colleague resource group for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies—making it feel like Zoetis’ and PAW’s “first pride” in many ways.
“It has been a great year as a gay colleague at Zoetis,” remarked Daniel, “Year after year, more and more visibility comes, and more action comes with that.” As an organization, Zoetis has made increased efforts in the past year to highlight their commitment to Pride through concrete actions, holding themselves accountable to their commitments. This includes strong policies and programs that promote a LGBTQ+ friendly workplace such as non-discrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families; and a cultural focus on DE&I.
On June 9th members of PAW sat down with Zoetis leadership, Kristin Peck, Chief Executive Officer, Roxanne Lagano, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Global Operations, and Sherry Pudloski, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Communications. This candid conversation allowed PAW colleagues to open up about the importance of Pride and share their own experiences – both in the workplace and in their personal lives – as they recounted celebrations, hardships, their journeys to self-acceptance and struggles in seeking approval from their families and friends without fear of judgment. This gave Zoetis leaders the opportunity to listen, share their experiences as allies, and their insights on the importance of allyship. “[The Executive Team] took an hour of their time to talk with us, and it was a lot of committed conversations, being vulnerable, and sharing stories of why Pride is important,” said Daniel.
The Pride flag flying proudly at Zoetis HQ.
In addition to the above initiatives, Zoetis colleagues are learning, celebrating and showing their support for LGBTQ+ Pride through several other Pride Month events. This includes PAW’s Virtual Pride Parade, where colleagues were invited to participate by flying their Pride flags, wearing their Pride colors, and showing their support and encouragement for our LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies. For more information on Zoetis’ diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, click here.
