The Top Employer Certification is awarded to organizations that demonstrate excellence in HR through independent assessment and comprehensive benchmarking. Bayer achieved strong results in the Institute’s HR Best Practices Survey, performing particularly well across several of the evaluated domains, including People Strategy, Work Environment, Learning, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Adrian Seligman, CEO of the Top Employers Institute, commented:
“Achieving a Country Top Employer Certification for 2026 reflects Bayer’s dedication to building an outstanding workplace that enables sustained business performance. Their strong alignment between people strategy and organizational goals, combined with a commitment to continuous improvement, demonstrates the impact of their transformative practices. We are proud to recognize Bayer for their meaningful contribution to a better world of work in South Africa and Kenya.”
Strengthening Culture Through Transformation
Since 2023, Bayer has been undergoing an ambitious organizational transformation aimed at simplifying ways of working, empowering teams and accelerating decision‑making. This shift, grounded in the company’s Dynamic Shared Ownership model, has strengthened collaboration across functions and markets while creating greater clarity and accountability within teams.
As part of this journey, Bayer has continued to embed the principles of its VACC leadership model: Visionary, Architect, Catalyst and Coach, which guides leaders in building a more agile, dynamic and people‑centric organization.
Committed to Inclusion, Growth and Modern Ways of Working
Bayer continues to invest in building an inclusive culture in which colleagues feel valued and supported. The company’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play an active role in fostering representation, dialogue and belonging across diverse communities.
The organization has also strengthened its focus on continuous learning, digital skills and responsible innovation. Over the past year, Bayer has integrated the ethical and accountable use of AI across selected workflows to enhance insights, enable smarter decision‑making and improve the employee experience, ensuring technology remains an enabler of human potential, not a replacement for it.
Leadership Perspective
Madelein Du Plessis, Head of Human Resources, Sub‑Saharan Africa, said:
“Being certified as a Top Employer in both South Africa and Kenya is a meaningful affirmation of our journey and the efforts of our people. At Bayer, we are committed to creating an environment where colleagues can grow, innovate and contribute to something larger than themselves. This certification reflects not only our people practices, but the collective resilience, collaboration and purpose that define our teams.”
A Recognition Shared by All Bayer Colleagues
The 2026 Top Employer Certification gives Bayer access to globally benchmarked insights, expert validation and proven best practices that will further strengthen its learning culture, wellbeing initiatives, leadership capability and digital transformation efforts.
Most importantly, this recognition reflects the dedication of Bayer colleagues across South Africa and Kenya who continue to embrace new ways of working, collaborate across borders, and bring the company’s vision to life with passion and commitment. In 2025, the Top Employer Institute certified and recognized nearly 2 500 Top Employers in 131 countries/regions, positively impacting over 14 million employees globally.
Bayer congratulates all employees whose effort, adaptability and teamwork made this achievement possible.
