Investing in employees’ wellbeing and empowering them is directly proportional to their productivity and success. It is a well-acknowledged fact that human resources are the intangible assets of an organization that needs to be nurtured, appreciated and valued to ensure its sustainability. An organization’s ability to deliver a sense of purpose to its employees can help in connecting and driving them towards a common goal.

Aragen follows a global job architecture that helps craft job roles in a way that delivers meaning to its employees and helps them in aligning their professional goals with the organizational goals. Motivated by its brand promise of ‘Together Ahead’ and guided by its people-philosophy, Aragen believes in investing, learning, and growing along with its employees.

Focused on Employee Wellbeing
Driven by its purpose statement ‘In every molecule is the possibility for better health’, Aragen Life Sciences has always focused on every molecule, every program, every customer, irrespective of how big or small they may be, to find solutions for better health. At the same time, as an organization, it believes in offering an encouraging work environment that offers excellent career growth opportunities. A robust learning and development program helps employees continuously upskill to create more value for customers as well as align their career growth aspirations. “We have always focused on employee wellbeing and continuously implement new initiatives and wellness programs to ensure this.

Through our policies on inclusion and non-discrimination, we promote a culture of diversity, fairness, respect, collaboration and encourage ideas/ suggestions from every sphere of the organization. This helps us connect with employees and create an environment of trust and productivity. We try to maximize employee potential through four dimensions - inspiring through core values and a compelling purpose; realizing our EVP – we invest! we learn! We grow; diversity & inclusion and lastly building happy and healthy workplace,” states Manni Kantipudi, CEO, Aragen Life Sciences.

Combating the COVID Scenario
Being part of the essential services, Aragen was operational through the COVID times having implemented necessary precautions to keep its work force safe and healthy.

A cross-functional team led by the executive management continuously monitored the situation and implemented measures to ensure employee safety and wellbeing. These included appropriate work practices, such as social distancing, sanitization, staggered working hours, and restricted on-campus movement to ensure safety and health of employees at the workplace.

“Apart from access to professional expertise to ensure the emotional and physical well-being of employees and their family members, we also provided financial incentives to employees/workers whose presence was inevitable for our critical operations. During COVID, we also tied up with designated hospitals for access to emergency treatment on a need basis for employees,” says Manni Kantipudi.

Journey till Now and Beyond
Positioned as a trusted R&D as well as manufacturing partner to the global life sciences industry, Aragen Life Sciences commenced its operations two decades ago by offering chemistry services and has now grown to become the ‘Partner of Choice’ for large multinationals as well as medium, small and virtual organizations in the pharmaceutical, biotech, animal health, agro-chem, nutraceuticals industries. Right from its inception, Aragen has been expanding its solutions for small and large molecules across the discovery, development, and manufacturing continuum. Its long-standing relationships with many of its customers have helped it understand he upcoming requirements of the customers and gear up for them.

Apart from its strong access to worldclass infrastructure and scientific talent in cutting edge technology to drive innovation, some of the key competitive advantages of Aragen Life Sciences include strong IP and no conflict of business interest, a robust project management system and global operations. Not affiliated with any pharma company, Aragen does not invest in pre-clinical or clinical assets, nor share any equity with its partners. Its business model is purely based on offering solutions to advance customers’ programs through the research, development and manufacturing value chain. A robust project management system ensures that its customers have complete visibility of their project progress.

Aragen on boarded Goldman Sachs, an active global investor in May 2021. This investment underscores the tremendous opportunity ahead in the life sciences industry and the value proposition that Aragen offers to its customers.

The Company is planning to invest in biologics manufacturing as a forward integration strategy to offer seamless services across the biologic continuum. The organization is already planning on expanding its formulation development capabilities to support the drug product supply required for clinical trials. Acquisition of a GLP-certified pre-clinical CRO – IntoxPvt. Ltd. To offer safety assessment solutions, further strengthened its position as an integrated drug discovery solutions provider.

As the Company continues to cross new milestones of operations and business growth, its focus on its employees continues to be unwavering. Winning the Great Place to Work (GPTW) certification for three consecutive years is a testimony of the strong employer brand that it has created and nurtured. Aragen has also been conferred the title of ‘National Best Employer Brand ‘ by World HRD Congress thrice in a row for the Company’s exemplary practices in HR that has blend HR strategy into the business vision and cultivating competencies in the human capital of the organization to be future ready.

At a time when retaining talent is an increasing challenge for many organizations, Aragen is proud that more than 20% employees have been with the Company for more than five years. “At Aragen, creating and nurturing a healthy work environment that empowers our employees to fulfil their career goals while also balancing their other commitments is our key priority and we continuously work towards it” concludes Manni Kantipudi.