LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BusinessWire)--Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM) today was recognized for the first time as a Top Employer in Africa for the company’s excellent work environment and exceptional development opportunities for employees. Top Employer certification is the result of an independent assessment by the Top Employers Institute, which presented national honors to PMI teams in 5 African countries: Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, and South Africa. Earlier this year, PMI received national honors in 24 countries across Europe and the Middle East.

“At PMI, we know that our people are our greatest strength. This is why we continuously strive to provide an inspiring, diverse and inclusive workplace,” said Alejandro Lamas, PMI Vice President of Human Resources, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. “This latest recognition is a testament to our work for continued development and leadership advancement of our people, allowing them to grow, and to build our business today and for the future.”

PMI employs more than 82,000 people worldwide. The company offers robust learning and development initiatives, strong reward and recognition programs, as well as challenging career opportunities in a global and diverse environment. In 2015 alone, nearly 1,400 of PMI’s employees worked outside their home country on an international assignment in different functional areas and around the world.

Top Employer certification

The Top Employer certification is awarded by the Top Employer Institute following a robust assessment, validated by the auditing company Grant Thornton, of the companies’ practices in a number of areas, including compensation and employee benefits, career development, working conditions and training and development.