Johnson & Johnson has been at the forefront in the fight against COVID-19 since January, when the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it had identified a new virus—the novel coronavirus.
Since then, the company has made it a mission to help protect people and vulnerable communities around the world from the pandemic. Those efforts range from a $50 million commitment to support programs aimed at helping front line healthcare workers to research on an investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate that’s currently in Phase 3 clinical trials.
Johnson & Johnson is honored and humbled to have been recognized by a number of organizations throughout 2020 for its efforts during this public health crisis—the kinds of efforts that have long been part of its storied history.
As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a look back at some of these accolades, which speak to Johnson & Johnson’s dedication to helping meet unmet healthcare needs the world over.
1.
Fast Company’s 2020 Best Workplaces for Innovators
For the second year in a row, Johnson & Johnson landed on the 2020 Fast Company Best Workplaces for Innovators list, which recognizes companies from around the world that are encouraging bold experimentation at every level of their organization.
Johnson & Johnson Innovation, which is comprised of innovation centers and teams across the globe, also made Fast Company‘s inaugural 2020 Innovative Team of the Year list, which honors groups whose creativity and passion have driven a major breakthrough.
Johnson & Johnson was one of just 10 companies to appear on both lists, which were compiled in collaboration with consulting firm Accenture.
The honor encompasses the company’s work on an Ebola vaccine regimen that it was able to fast-track in response to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—as well as its work this year on an investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
2.
Fortune’s 2020 Most Powerful Women in Business
This year, Fortune named Jennifer Taubert, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals, to its Most Powerful Women in Business list in tribute to her work as part of the leadership team responsible for helping steer Johnson & Johnson through this unprecedented year.
Each year since 1998, Fortune has highlighted 50 women who are at the top of their industries on its annual list, using four criteria: the size and importance of the woman’s business in the global economy, the health and direction of the business, the arc of the woman’s career, and her social and cultural influence.
This year, a new criterion was added: In this moment of uncertainty with the pandemic, how is she using her influence to help shape her company and the wider world for the better?
As leader of overall global strategy for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Taubert—who’s been honored on the list for five years and moved up one spot on the list this year—has been using her role to great effect, including overseeing the development of Janssen’s investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
3.
The 2020 Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 and Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25
In May, Gartner, Inc., the world’s largest research and advisory company, honored Johnson & Johnson with a #3 ranking on its annual 2020 Supply Chain Top 25 index, which is up five spots from its 2019 ranking.
Gartner cited Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to the continuous improvement of its supply chain, its ability to put innovation into practice by partnering across the company, and its efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gartner specifically called out a collaboration between Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Company, and Prisma Health to make and distribute a VESper™ Ventilator Expansion Splitter at no cost—going from concept and design to launch in just 10 days. The device, authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use only, allows a single ventilator to be fitted with it and used for two rescuable patients for ventilatory support during the COVID-19 pandemic until individual ventilators are available.
For these accomplishments, and for its singular commitment to finding novel supply chain solutions to the challenges of modern healthcare, last month Johnson & Johnson was also honored with the #1 spot on the 2020 Gartner Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25.
4.
Working Mother’s 100 Best Companies
As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, companies around the world scrambled to adjust.
This year’s list of Working Mother‘s 100 Best Companies highlights corporations that likely made that transition with relative ease, because they are already highly attuned to the needs of employees who are parents.
Johnson & Johnson was honored as a Best Company for the 35th consecutive year—and also made the 2020 Working Mother Best Companies for Dads list.
As in previous years, two Johnson & Johnson employees were named Working Mother and Working Dad of the Year for their incredible strength in the face of adversity both pre-COVID and during this difficult year.
5.
Interbrand’s Best Global Brands of 2020
For two decades, brand consultancy Interbrand has released its list of the Best Global Brands. In 2020, with COVID-19 taking a major toll on businesses of most kinds, criteria for making the list centered around having the leadership, engagement and relevance necessary to guide and retain consumers through turbulent times.
With its constant focus on access and affordability, creating healthier communities, and putting a healthy mind, body and environment within reach of everyone, everywhere, Johnson & Johnson made it onto Interbrand’s roster once again this year.
“Inclusion was based, in large part, on a company’s ability to provide leadership in a chaotic world,” says Michael Sneed, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, and Chief Communication Officer, Johnson & Johnson. “Our Credo and our purpose have never been more important than in 2020, and our inclusion on this list further validates the strength and value of our company’s foundation.”
