The first-ever Automotive Diversity & Inclusion Charter for the UK was announced at the SMMT Annual Dinner on Tuesday evening (29 November), with sixteen major UK names having put their name to it. The founding signatories, which make up 20% of the sector’s manufacturing workforce, as well as other organisations are as follows:
Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC)
Aurrigo
Bentley Motors
BMW Group
Cummins UK
Honda Motor Europe
Lotus
McLaren
Nissan UK
Robert Bosch
The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT)
Stellantis
TMD Friction UK Ltd
Toyota
Unite the Union
Volkswagen Group UK

Announcing the Charter at the SMMT Annual Dinner Alison Jones, SMMT President and Stellantis Senior Vice President Global Circular Economy said: “The Automotive Council’s first Diversity Report shows that as an industry our results are, sadly, still really low. We have to accelerate our efforts again to ensure a truly diverse and inclusive workforce. I urge everyone to join this landmark initiative, alongside the sixteen founding organisations, to really make a positive human and business impact for our workforce, our organisations and our industry.”

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive and Chair of the Automotive Council UK Competitiveness and Business Environment Group, added: “This Charter is a pivotal moment for the automotive industry – a collective pledge to drive positive change, drive out inequality, and demonstrate progress. UK Automotive is undergoing an immense transformation and our future success depends on attracting the best and brightest talent, irrespective of backgrounds, races, genders, cultures or abilities. A rich diversity of skills, perspectives and experience can give us a competitive advantage and I encourage the sector to support this important ambition.”

For more information, visit: www.automotivecouncil.co.uk