United Nations Roundtable

SEPTEMBER 2025

Last week, we had the privilege of joining the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) & Bayer Spotlight on Menopause (a UNGA side event)—highlighting that menopause is a workplace equity issue that affects retention, absenteeism, productivity, and leadership pathways. Many women enter perimenopause just as they are reaching the peak of their careers.

⏺️ Right now, 1 in 5 working women is navigating menopause.

It was inspiring to share the panel with Pauline Maki, Carmen Correa , and Desta Lakew, alongside our amazing moderator Shakuntala Santhiran. Our co-panelists Sofiat Akinola (Roche), Dr. Claus Runge (Bayer), and Lisa Felton (Vodafone Foundation) brought insights into the workplace initiatives that have boosted talent retention.

We are decades behind in making menopause a global health priority. Yet the progress we are seeing proves that even small changes can have big impact—and that so much more can and should be done.

As Sofiat Akinola reminded us, the spotlight won’t remain on menopause forever, it will move on to the next hot thing. That’s why it’s critical we use this moment—while menopause is very much in the cultural zeitgeist—to drive long-term systemic change. At Menoglobal, that is exactly the future we are working toward.

Thank you to Bame Modungwa, Mariarosa Cutillo, Diene Keita and the rest of the UNFPA team for this timely convening and the case study: https://www.unfpa.org/publications/spotlight-building-menopause-friendly-workplaces-across-private-sector