In June we caught up with our Lead Talent Acquisition, Silvia Catellani, to talk about ProQR, Pride, and driving an inclusive culture for present and future ProQRians.
Why is Pride important to you?
As the ProQRian responsible for Talent Acquisition, and therefore most of the time the first point of contact for future ProQRians, I’m particularly proud to represent a company that is proactively involved in ensuring inclusivity, embracing diversity, and making sure that everyone feels welcome.
Why did you join the ProQR Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) group?
I joined the DEI team in 2023 to contribute to developing our inclusive culture. In 2023, ProQR’s participation in Leiden Pride was the first event I was directly involved in organizing. Our participation in the event was a way to show both prospective candidates and employees that ProQR welcomes all members of the LGBTQIA+ community. I feel proud that the event had such successful participation, and I look forward to the next one!
Why did you decide to participate in Leiden Pride as a DEI team?
We believe that ProQR is for everyone, and we’re committed to providing a safe, open, inclusive, and inspiring workplace. During Pride Month (in June) our company logo adopts beautiful rainbow colors in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, so we were enthusiastic about sharing our values, our support, and our celebration for this community. Plus, this was the first-ever edition of Pride in Leiden, and we couldn’t miss out on endorsing and sponsoring such an important event for the local community, celebrating in the most typical Dutch way with a boat parade through Leiden’s canals – a community with a rich scientific history!
How was Leiden Pride?
It was great fun! The participation in the event exceeded our expectations with around 25,000 people attending the celebrations.
We loved seeing from our boat so many cheerful and colorful people enjoying the parade on the canal banks. We spent the day singing aloud, dancing, and waving rainbow flags proudly! It was exciting seeing many ProQRians supporting the event both on and off the boat.
