"Lilly's values in caring and discovery: social contrib."

Lilly Korea's GDOS TF team

'GDOS' continued for over 15 years…volunteering activities involving the local communities

Last year's events were plogging·donation kits for child support…donation items were delivered to underprivileged

'GDOS Night' featuring charity band·linked donation program…expanded company's fundamental model

"Lilly's core values have always been 'Caring' and 'Discovery'. GDOS demonstrates that these values are not merely slogans, but a platform where employees can personally practice them within the community and reaffirm the company's reason for existence."

On September 25 last year, Eli Lilly Korea held a volunteer activity attended by all employees to celebrate the 'Global Day of Service (GDOS).' GDOS is a global volunteer program launched by Lilly in 2008, which has accumulated over 1.2 million volunteer hours across 65 countries to date. Eli Lilly Korea has participated since 2010, contributing more than 20,000 hours of service.

The Global Day of Service is a day when organizations and individuals worldwide volunteer for local communities and global issues. Lilly operates this day annually as its own GDOS, effectively establishing it as "the volunteering day for Lilly employees worldwide."

The theme for the 2025 Eli Lilly Korea GDOS was "A Better World Made Together," centered on two pillars: environmental improvement and support for underprivileged children. Approximately 250 employees were divided into groups to conduct plogging in Jung-gu and Seodaemun, and to create donation kits for child support. The donations were delivered through Save the Children, in cooperation with the Community Chest of Korea. They provided necessary items to children at the Manan District Social Welfare Center in Anyang.

2025 Eli Lilly Korea GDOS TF Team. From left: Hyung-min Kim (Regulatory Affairs), Minju Kang (Medical), Yu Seok Kang (ENC), Joohee Lee (Medical)

Notably, they introduced 'GDOS Night; for the first time last year, featuring a charity performance by the in-house band and a donation program. A new attempt was made to expand the post-volunteer interaction into another act of sharing by accumulating the entire proceeds from food and beverages purchased by employees as donation funds.

GDOS aligns with Lilly's global sustainability strategy, which includes: ▲ expanding access to medicines ▲ improving environments with limited medical infrastructure ▲ strengthening community resilience ▲ minimizing environmental footprints ▲ fostering innovation grounded in inclusion and diversity.

We met with Minju Kang, Medical Director of Eli Lilly Korea, who managed last year's GDOS, and the TF team (Joohee Lee, Yu Seok Kang , and Hyung-min Kim) to discuss preparations, operations, achievements, and future directions.

Q. Please describe your roles in last year's GDOS.

Minju Kang (Medical): I am Minju Kang, head of the Medical Department and the sponsor for GDOS. Each year, a different department takes turns sponsoring GDOS, and since the Medical Department was in charge last year, I took on the role of sponsor.

Hyung-min Kim (Regulatory Affairs): I am Hyung-min Kim from the Regulatory Affairs team. For this GDOS, I established the overall program plan, selected volunteer activities, and managed group assignments.

Joohee Lee (Medical): I am Joohee Lee from the Medical Department. This program was led by three 'Champion Leaders' centered around Vice President Minju Kang. My role involved planning the program, encouraging employee participation, and setting the direction for which values we should focus on.

Yu Seok Kang  (ENC): I am Yu Seok Kang  from the ENC team. Since GDOS is a long-standing event, my primary role was to ensure that the company's regulations and procedures were strictly followed throughout the support process.

Q. What kind of event is GDOS?

Minju Kang (Medical)

Minju Kang: GDOS is a global corporate social responsibility program in which all Lilly branches worldwide, including the U.S. headquarters and Korea, participate. It has continued for nearly 20 years since its 2008 launch, and Eli Lilly Korea has participated consistently since 2010.

It is highly significant because it goes beyond a simple annual event; it is a time for us, as members of a pharmaceutical company, to reconnect with our fundamental purpose asking 'Why do we do this work?'

GDOS is operated as a volunteer-based activity involving all employees, and each year the TF Champions plan the program. The format changes annually. In some years, we conduct plogging to improve community environmental health, and other years we assemble donation kits for the underprivileged.

Last year, we conducted plogging and kit production simultaneously. Furthermore, we introduced GDOS Night, aiming to extend the lasting impact of volunteer work into a time for sharing and interaction.

Q. Compared to other CSR activities, what makes Lilly's program special?

Hyung-min Kim (Regulatory Affairs)

Hyung-min Kim (Regulatory Affairs): Generally, many volunteer programs rely on external vendors to handle the event's composition and operation. However, at Lilly, employees form their own TF to take the lead in the entire process—from planning and execution to reporting results.

Members experience creating the program as protagonists rather than mere participants, gaining a sense of belonging and achievement. I believe this is the fundamental differentiator of Lilly's CSR activities.

Joohee Lee: Having worked at other pharmaceutical companies, I found it particularly impressive that Lilly employees worldwide participate in volunteer work on the same day.

It is rare to find CSR activities in which employees from every country, including the U.S. headquarters, work toward a common goal with a consistent identity as 'Team Lilly.'

Additionally, not only the domestic TF but also TF Champions from each country meet in advance to discuss the planning direction and implementation methods for the GDOS program, and share the results after the event. This systematic approach, in which we learn from and spread the activities of different countries, sets GDOS apart as a sophisticated global volunteer program rather than a simple local activity.

Q. We heard the 2025 theme was 'A Better World Made Together.' What were the central messages you focused on?

Yu Seok Kang : The first pillar was 'Environmental Improvement.' To this end, we collaborated with the 1365 Volunteer Center to conduct plogging activities that could directly improve the local community's environment. The second pillar was 'Child Support.' In the past, we focused on visiting orphanages to improve their facilities. Last year, during discussions with the Community Chest of Korea, we explored ways to provide more practical help to children.

As a result, we agreed that an approach of personally creating and delivering items that children need and would enjoy was more meaningful. By structuring the program around these two core pillars (environment and children), we prepared for the theme of "A Better World Made Together" to be portrayed through the activities.

Q. Could you explain what "GDOS Night" was?

Joohee Lee (Medical)

Joohee Lee: In the past, after the volunteer work was completed, employees typically went their separate ways.Last year, we introduced GDOS Night to strengthen GDOS's communal values further.

Many employees voluntarily attended the event even after the official activities ended, continuing the interaction and sharing. I believe this experience catalyzed GDOS to naturally expand its purpose.

Minju Kang: GDOS Night was an event planned around the 'Lilly Band,' an in-house club.

Employees who participate in the band as a hobby held a charity concert. We expanded the traditional 'one-day cafe' format by renting an external club space, selling food and drinks, and raising funds.

It was meaningful because it provided a direct platform for employees to participate and spread a culture of donation beyond just a concert.

Q. What is the meaning behind Lilly's core value, 'To unite caring with discovery to make life better for people'?

Yu Seok Kang : We thought deeply about how to integrate caring and discovery into our activities harmoniously. In particular, introducing the unprecedented GDOS Night was meaningful because it expanded the event from a mere gathering of Lilly members into a festival where we could share and personally experience the values the company pursues.

Furthermore, we interpreted the purpose of GDOS differently by introducing a structure that converted the program's proceeds into donations. I believe this series of processes was an attempt to meld the corporate purpose of caring and innovation into overall activities, and a case of seeking new ways through new methods.

Minju Kang: Lilly holds 'Respect for People' as one of its core values, which is based on fundamental respect for human dignity and life. Caring, stemming from this value, has a practical meaning for a pharmaceutical company: providing patients with treatment opportunities and improving their quality of life. At the same time, for such caring to be realized in reality, innovative discovery and continuous R&D investment are essential.

Therefore, Lilly simultaneously pursues a people-centered perspective and the discovery that realizes it. The discovery mentioned here refers to the development of new medicines, which directly links to our corporate purpose, as only innovative treatments can provide substantial benefits to patients. From this perspective, GDOS is not an event separate from the company's daily operations, but an extension of the process where caring and discovery for a better life are connected through activities.

Q. Is there a message you would like to send to the TF preparing for this year's GDOS?

Yu Seok Kang (ENC)

Yu Seok Kang: Last year, we made various attempts based on collaborations with several volunteer organizations. However, since most volunteer groups operate with small numbers, there were constraints on schedules and operational methods during the coordination process for GDOS, which requires large-scale participation.

In the future, we can enhance efficiency and meaning further if collaboration schedules are coordinated and prepared at an even earlier stage. Although there was some trial and error, the process itself, including discussing with TF members and brainstorming ways to maximize employee participation, was very valuable, and I am satisfied with the overall results.

Joohee Lee: The feedback left by CEO after last year's GDOS was also memorable. The suggestion was to consider activities that can deliver hope to patients, caregivers, and the community, aligned with a pharmaceutical company's identity and role. From this perspective, I believe programs that create direct touchpoints with patients, such as the Lilly Band holding a concert for patients, are directions worth considering for the future.

Kim Hyung-min: GDOS is not an activity directly linked to performance metrics, but it is an event we must participate in with a sense of mission, personally practicing the company's values as Lilly employees. Since it required preparation outside of working hours, personal motivation was necessary, and being able to provide momentum to each other while working as a team was a great help. I believe a TF involving members who can voluntarily offer opinions is a crucial element for the future success of GDOS.

Minju Kang : The charity concert (GDOS Night), which was attempted for the first time last year, received a very positive response. If we consider how to further evolve this format for the charity concert next year, we can expand the meaning of GDOS even further.