10:48 am, April 16, 2021
Industry leaders and experts are to take part in free-to-view digital events organised by Auto Trader that will look at best practice for diversity and inclusion in the automotive sector.
Those getting involved have been drawn from the likes of Marshall Motor Group, McLaren Automotive, Volkswagen, Bentley, Nissan, Cox Automotive, Facebook and Haymarket Automotive.
Executive search specialist Ennis & Co is working with Auto Trader on the events, with founder and director Lynda Ennis joining Haymarket managing director Rachael Prasher for the next episode of Auto Trader’s Courageous Conversations webinar series during which they’ll discuss the role of political correctness and PC language in the workplace.
As well as examining what is and isn’t acceptable, they’ll also be looking at how businesses can ensure their diversity and inclusion strategies are adapting along with the changing politically correct landscape.
It’s being held on April 21 from 2.30pm to 3.30pm, and people can register via https://bit.ly/CC-Ep4.
That’ll be followed by the third annual Making Diversity and Inclusion a Business Reality seminar on May 4, which will see HR directors, MDs and CEOs from leading retail and manufacturing brands plus trade bodies sharing their diversity and inclusion experiences and identifying ways to drive greater diversity in their businesses and industry-wide.
The two-hour event starts at 11am to 1pm with places available at http://bit.ly/MDIBR-21.
Marshall Motor Group CEO Daksh Gupta said: ‘I am very much looking forward to being involved in the seminar.
‘Whilst we are starting to see some real traction on gender diversity across the sector, and certainly within Marshall, there’s clearly more work to be done to make our businesses more accessible, attractive and inclusive to a wider talent pool than we have today.
‘With our combined commitment and drive from across the sector, I have every confidence we really can make diversity and inclusion our business reality.’
Marshall HR director Jo Moxon will join other leads on a panel to discuss the impact of the pandemic on their diversity and inclusion strategies, examining why it’s more important than ever to focus on their diversity commitments.
She’ll be joined by McLaren Automotive HR director Mandeep Dhatt, Volkswagen Group UK HR director Penny Weatherup, CitNOW HR director Laura Haskins, and Cox Automotive International HR director Alison Fisher.
Panel host and Auto Trader group sales director Rebecca Clark said: ‘At a time when the industry has faced so many unprecedented challenges and been forced to undergo such a significant transition, we wanted to bring together the leading brands and thought leaders to understand just how vital diversity and inclusion will be to the future success of the market.
‘The huge response we’ve received from the industry’s most senior stakeholders speaks volumes about how much a priority this issue is for businesses, and their ongoing commitment to bring about change in the automotive industry.’
A second panel will see Nissan UK managing director Andrew Humberstone join Facebook’s global category director for automotive Geraldine Ingham and Bentley board member for people, digitalisation and IT Astrid Fontaine to discuss the integral role diversity and inclusion will play in the future health of the automotive market.
