Leading Employer Award Ranks Firmenich in Top 1% of Swiss Employers

GENEVA,Sept. 11,2019 -- Firmenich,the world's largest privately-owned perfume and taste company,has been recognized with the Leading Employer Switzerland 2019 award,ranking it in the top 1% of all employers in its home country. Based on a comprehensive study of more than 20,000 companies,spanning more than 400,000 datasets,the award takes into account employee satisfaction,health and benefits,importance of values,talent communication and overall reputation.

"Since our creation in 1895,Firmenich has always been more than a company; we are a family with a unique legacy of responsible business," said Patrick Firmenich,Chairman of the Board,Firmenich. "From our early beginnings as a start-up to today with close to 8000 colleagues around the world,we owe our success to our people's creativity,passion and drive. This recognition is credit to our unique spirit and culture."

"I am very proud that we have been recognized as an employer of choice,within the top 1% of all Swiss companies," said Gilbert Ghostine,Firmenich CEO. "This award is a true tribute to Firmenich's legacy of responsible business,with people at the heart of everything we do. It's our colleagues that build our company every day,that's why we ensure they can bring their best self to work in a safe and inclusive workplace."

Firmenich achieved particularly high ratings in the areas of employee satisfaction,based on internal and external surveys and online reviews. Firmenich's responsible business practices and values stood out in its ranking,from its leading sustainability performance,reflected by this year's CDP Triple A score,to its gender equality and family-friendly programs. Furthermore,its commitment to advancing the United Nations SDGs,as a UN Global Compact Signatory and Swiss Network Board Member,were highlighted in its results.

Firmenich was the seventh company worldwide,and the first in its industry,to be globally certified as a gender-equal employer by EDGE,the world's leading business certification standard in this area. For Firmenich,being an inclusive company means embracing a diversity of backgrounds,race,gender,age and experience as well as people with different abilities. For more than 40 years,the Group has been working with organizations such as Sgipa in Switzerland to create employment opportunities for people of different abilities. Taking its diversity agenda to the next level,Firmenich joined the Valuable 500 this year to further anchor "disability inclusion" on its leadership agenda. Empowering the next generation of talent,Firmenich is also a founding member of the Global Alliance for Youth committed to impacting 6 million young people by giving them access to the necessary skills to thrive in the world of work. Firmenich also provides continuous learning,as well as flexible working arrangements to support its colleague's needs at different stages of their lives and careers.

Anchoring its activities in Switzerland for the long term,Firmenich has invested over 100 million Swiss francs in its new campus of excellence in Meyrin-Satigny,the Group's headquarters to be launched in 2020. A hub for cutting-edge innovation and creativity,the site will bring the Group's research and development,creation and support functions under one roof.

About Firmenich

Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned company in the perfume and taste business,founded in Geneva,Switzerland,in 1895. Driven by its purpose to create positive emotions to enhance wellbeing,naturally,Firmenich has designed many of the world's best-known perfumes and tastes,bringing delight to over four billion consumers every day. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity,as well as its leadership in sustainability,each year,Firmenich invests 10% of its turnover in R&D to understand and share the best that nature has to offer responsibly. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.7 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2018. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com

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