Friday 1st March 2024 – Nissan GB has joined the Automotive 30% Club as a Patron member, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to inclusive leadership.
The Automotive 30% club is a network of leaders in the automotive industry dedicated to building diverse gender-balanced businesses.
Members of the club aim to fill at least 30% of key leadership positions with diverse women by 2030 by implementing practices allowing them to attract, select and retain the best people for the job. Rather than using a quota or positive discrimination, the club and its members promote strategies addressing the root causes of women’s underrepresentation in some roles.
Andrew Humberstone, Managing Director of Nissan GB, said: “I look forward to working with Julia and other members of the club to share best practice as we move forwards together to build more equitable and inclusive businesses. It’s a no-brainer for our business to aim to reflect the diversity of our customer base, and we know our business will be the strongest possible meritocracy if we can attract brilliant employees from every background.
“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has been a priority at Nissan GB for some time, with measures taken over the last few years to create a workplace culture that allows everyone to engage fully and give their best. These have included flexible working, new progressive policies, the introduction of several inclusive employee networks, and changes to the office environment.
“At Nissan’s Sunderland plant, the Nissan Skills Foundation – which has reached more than 60,000 children from primary and secondary schools to date – engages school-age children to consider careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). The foundation includes a programme specifically for teenage girls called GIMME (Girls in Monozukuri, Manufacturing and Engineering), offering presentation and engagement opportunities with women in the automotive industry.
“While Nissan GB is proud that women already represent 30% of its senior leadership team, and over a third of the workforce as a whole, we are committed to the continuation of work in this area to ensure that we recruit from the widest possible talent pool, and that all employees benefit from exciting career opportunities, regardless of background or gender.”
Julia Muir, founder of the Automotive 30% Club, said: “I am extremely pleased that Andrew Humberstone has joined the Automotive 30% Club as a Patron and Gold Member. He and the Nissan GB 30 by 30 co-leaders Rachel Foster and David Jackson will make very valuable additions to our Patron group and the wider Club activities. They understand the link between having the best high performing people and the ability to rise to the industry challenges of 2030 and beyond. It is fantastic to see that Nissan has already reached 30% female representation in the senior team, and I look forward to working with them to build gender-balanced and diverse teams throughout the business, and striving to make the whole automotive sector a place where women can thrive as much as their male colleagues. “
