Women represent 23% of corporate executives at this biotechnology firm, 43% of senior managers and 44% of managers—and a new class of talented female recruits is always beginning their climb. To make sure they reach the top, the firm recently announced its intention to boost the number of women in the leadership pipeline by 50% as of 2015. CEO Ian Clark and fellow executives plan to provide female employees with greater exposure to influential mentors, career-making development opportunities and flexible schedules, all of which will help to facilitate change. That same can-do spirit emerged at the genentech Women’s Professional Summit in March 2010, where industry role models spoke to women at the director level and above about the need for personal empowerment.

CEO & Head of North American Commercial Operations Ian Clark 

Senior VP, HR Denise Smith-Hams

Women managers/execs 43% 

Women among top earners 45% 

Women hires in 2010 48% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 10 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? No

Offers affinity group for new mothers? No

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 78%

Genentech offers more than 200 employee benefits and services that focus on health and well-being.

Parents who work at the headquarters of this biotechnology firm rely on two near-site child-care centers with fulltime, backup and school holiday care for 565 kids, plus "date nights‚" for Mom and Dad. Priority access and discounts were just introduced at a child-care center near the Hillsboro, OR, site, matching similar offerings in Vacaville and Oceanside, CA. But last year's coolest addition was CareerLab, a facility at HQ with career counseling, skills workshops, mentoring sessions and networking events. Designed to help employees make better choices, it has been popular with women, who make up 90% of users. The $10,000 in annual tuition assistance helps, too. "It was great stress relief for me to have unwavering financial support from Genentech‚" says mom Jaimie Fucillo, a manager of operations, who used the aid to get her MBA–and nab a promotion.

CEO & Head of North American Commercial Operations Ian Clark

SVP, Regional Head, HR North America Denise Smith-Hams

Women managers, senior managers and corporate execs 43%

Women among top earners 45%

Women on board of directors 0%

Women corporate executive hires in 2009 40%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year* 71%

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year* 14%

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement Not tracked    

Do formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance? No

*Percentages reflect number of women participants versus company’s total female workforce.