Our commitment
Our commitment to action is outlined below, aligned to the People pillar of our global Responsible Business plans and our global Inclusion & Diversity Framework:
Attracting new talent
Creating new ways for talent to join Inchcape and broadening where we find new talent helps us to drive an inclusive culture and contributes towards closing our gap.
- We are actively involved in key forums which drive gender balance within the automotive industry, including The Automotive 30% Club and the Institute of The Motor Industry Diversity Task Force.
- To inspire interest in male dominated fields, we regularly showcase female role models through our networks and communications.
- We are one of seven companies in the engineering and automotive industry participating in the ground-breaking internship programme, #10000 Black Interns.
- We launched an internship programme across the business to create a pipeline of diverse future and early careers talent.
The launch of our new, used car brand, bravoauto, provides more flexibility for our customers but also provides an opportunity to trial and deliver alternative routes into the automotive industry.
- We reviewed pay levels for our UK colleagues to ensure they meet the everyday needs of our people.
- We have started to build and track diversity metrics across our attraction and recruitment processes.
Developing the best talent
Developing and creating a pipeline of diverse talent is a core part of our approach to talent development.
- In 2021, female colleagues from the UK participated in the pilot of our global Women into Leadership Programme. This will continue as a full programme in 2022 and aims to accelerate high potential females through the organisation and into leadership roles.
- Our annual talent and leadership review strengthens diversity within the talent pipeline.
- We examine female progression within the business, putting in place development plans and fast-tracking progress as appropriate.
- Our Management Essentials and Leadership Essentials Programmes focus on principles of good leadership and management.
Driving an inclusive culture
Our education and awareness programmes help to reduce bias and drive more inclusive hiring, promotion, and reward decisions.
- In 2021, we launched an Inclusion & Diversity training session for our people managers in the UK enabling them to understand their role in creating diverse teams and nurturing inclusive behaviours.
Beginning in 2021, our UK senior leadership team are undertaking a 5-month Inclusive Leadership Programme which is a key enabler to our business strategy.
- In 2021 we refreshed and relaunched our I&D training for all colleagues in the UK with a focus on understanding non-inclusive behaviours.
The creation of our ‘Driving What Matters’ responsible business plans and Inclusion & Diversity Frameworks aim to ensure we have a safe operating environment with an inclusive and diverse culture and the best talent and skills for our future success.
The launch of our Code of Conduct and Speak Up helpline reinforces the desired values and behaviours to help embed an inclusive culture.
George Ashford - Chief Executive Officer, Inchcape UK
Justine Bates - Human Resources Director, Inchcape UK