Building ESG Strategy in a Global Pharma Business
Organon builds a board-approved ESG strategy from scratch within a year of spinning out from Merck, using Datamaran to move fast without sacrificing rigor.
Results
"There's a very big difference between your ESG strategy and your reporting strategy. Your strategy is, by definition, forward-looking."
Overview
Organon, a global women's healthcare company, was established in 2021 as a spinout from Merck, with 9,000 employees across 140 markets. With no existing ESG program to build on, the company needed a strategy — and needed it fast. Byron Austin, Head of Corporate Responsibility & ESG Management, had committed to the board that Organon would deliver an ESG strategy by year-end, and turned to Datamaran to make it happen.
Challenge
Organon needed to develop an ESG strategy from scratch, quickly, without the benefit of years of existing data or process to draw on.
Solution
Organon used Datamaran to benchmark against peers, run a materiality analysis, and combine the results with stakeholder insight faster than a traditional approach would allow. Austin's team worked with securities and governance lawyers to align risk disclosure across filings, including the 10-K, supported by materiality, benchmarking, regulatory, and public-opinion insight. The Datamaran materiality map also revealed the breadth of issues relevant to Organon's stakeholders, informing an integrated, data-driven strategy that addresses environmental risks including climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and natural capital.
Impact
Organon carried out its materiality analysis and built its ESG strategy quickly, then put it in front of the board for oversight. The exercise proved useful again around COP26, giving Austin's team a data point to support the internal case for climate commitment. The company continues to monitor ESG data with Datamaran to inform quarterly board updates and executive decision-making.
Results
- ESG strategy built from scratch and approved by the executive leadership team and board within the year
- Materiality insight integrated into 10-K risk disclosure alongside enterprise risk management
- Quarterly board updates now grounded in ongoing materiality monitoring
Looking Ahead
Organon continues to refine its ESG strategy with Datamaran, with Austin noting that future assessments should bring even tighter integration between materiality findings and enterprise risk management as the two processes converge.
