Empowering women at Croda: International Women's Day 2025

International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and to reaffirm our commitment to gender equality. At Croda, we take pride in fostering an inclusive workplace where women are supported in their careers and empowered to thrive. This year, we’re sharing the voices of some of our incredible people who inspire us with their journeys, challenges, and successes.

Balancing career and family

For many women, balancing work and personal life is a significant challenge. Jasmine Barcock, Sales Director, Life Sceinces, a mother who frequently travels for her global role, highlights the importance of flexibility in the workplace:

“A global role comes with challenges in dealing with various time zones and travel. Having a gender-balanced household helps (my husband cooks and cleans more than I do!), but equally so does the flexibility that working for Croda affords.

“Whilst spending time in the office is crucial to team building and information sharing, having a flexible working policy is key to women staying in their jobs and can support women returning to work post-maternity leave and whilst raising young children or in other care giving activities. For me this flexibility has removed the archaic need to choose family or career and supports busy working mums like me.

“I’m also eager to emulate a positive role model for my daughters and we talk about Croda’s purpose of using Smart science to improve lives™, and hearing my daughter proudly explain to the doctor how important her mummy’s job is in helping to make medicines that stop people from getting sick is a special memory that I will never forget.”

Jasmine’s story is a testament to how supportive policies, like flexible working arrangements, enable women to excel in both their careers and personal lives. 

Career growth and opportunities

Croda provides equal opportunities for all employees, ensuring that gender does not become a barrier to professional advancement. Sumedha Gupta, Industry Sales Manager, Asia, reflects on her experience when returning from maternity leave:

“Croda is a great place to work, and I have seen it offering equal opportunities irrespective of gender bias. I deeply appreciate the organisation’s commitment to equality, especially when I was given a fair opportunity to take up a larger role after returning from my maternity leave. The flexible working hours and good child-care facilities act as huge enablers helping me balance my professional and personal life.”

Croda’s commitment to inclusivity ensures that our people feel valued and supported at every stage of their careers.

Inspiration and mentorship

The role of mentorship and strong female figures cannot be understated. Joceyline Leong, Senior Marketing Lead, Life Sciences, shares how the women in her life influenced her path:

“My path to independence was shaped by the strength and dedication of two beautiful women; my mother and my colleague Susanna Casas, whose example of balancing family and work deeply inspired me. At Croda, I feel valued and heard, which drives me to give my best. The company’s commitment to gender equality fosters a supportive and empowering environment where I can grow, contribute, and make a meaningful impact.”

Her experience highlights the importance of representation and support in fostering confidence and ambition.

Health and wellbeing

Women in operations face unique challenges in maintaining work-life balance, as Carolyn Campbell, Engineer, Mill Hall, America, explains:

“Work-life balance is hard in operations regardless of gender because there is a high expectation to always be available and on call to support operations. As women, we are often taught from a young age that our value is directly tied to how helpful we are to others. These lessons, either real or perceived, make it more difficult to set boundaries at work. The Women LEAD affinity group is a wonderful community of inspiring women where I have found valuable support and advice for finding work-life balance.”

Croda’s Women LEAD affinity group serves as a crucial network, providing mentorship, advice, and a sense of belonging to help women navigate challenges in the workplace, a great initiative ensuring we are successfully supporting throughout the Group.

At Croda we support women through every part of their life, an example of this is explained by Roberta Grassi, HR Director, LATAM: "Menopause is a natural process that continues gradually for several years, hot flushes, insomnia, and brain fog affect daily work life and many times, we feel alone and ashamed.

"Openly sharing my symptoms within the company helped me go through this process in a lighter way, raising awareness that menopause is a real, difficult, and challenging transition. 

"Today, I am at peace with this stage of my life and confident that I can contribute with my experience within the company to support women who are beginning this journey."

Commitment to gender equality

At Croda, we believe that empowering women is not just about policies and programs, it’s about promoting a culture where every individual has the opportunity to succeed. Through flexible working, leadership development, and supportive communities, we are committed to breaking barriers and ensuring women’s voices are heard.

Chris Laughlin, Group Reward Director, Cowick Hall, tells us: "Achieving gender equality is not a women’s issue, it is for all of us to strive for. At Croda, I am proud to work for a company that recognises this and of the progress we are making. However, the experiences of the women in my life are a daily reminder of the reality of what has still to be done to achieve gender parity, both in the wider workplace and in society. We have got to stay mindful of and challenge conscious and unconscious biases, eradicate misogyny and reframe patriarchal structures. On International Women’s Day, my commitment is to serve to remove those barriers and to advocate for respect, for equality of opportunity and for fairness for all."

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the incredible women at Croda and around the world who continue to lead, inspire, and drive change. We look forward to building an even more inclusive future together.