Leading the car industry: Jaguar Land Rover signs up to the Race at Work Charter

Jaguar Land Rover has proven its commitment to diversity and inclusion by becoming the first automotive manufacturer to sign the Business in the Community’s (BITC) Race at Work Charter.

The company is committed to diversity and inclusion, as well as creating an inclusive working culture where all colleagues are respected, connected and included. 

The agreement will see the business membership organisation and Jaguar Land Rover’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) employee network tackle some of the barriers that the community faces in recruitment and career progression. 

Davy Price-Stephens, Jaguar Land Rover BAME Network’s Executive Sponsor, Talibah Coffield, Jaguar Land Rover’s BAME Network Chairperson, and Victoria Gabriel, Jaguar Land Rover BAME’s Strategy Lead, each played a pivotal role in getting the company to sign up.

“Signing the Race at Work Charter is a massive milestone in our diversity and inclusion journey,” says Talibah. “It is a great commitment to our colleagues and allows us to take practical actions to continue driving forward on our inclusive journey.”

The charter derived from the 2017 McGregor-Smith Review – ‘Race in the workplace’ – was created as a wake-up call for UK employers. The report found that members of the BAME community were under-employed, under-promoted and under-represented at senior levels.

Signing up to the agreement means making a public commitment to improving the working environment for the BAME community. The charter will see Jaguar Land Rover promise to: 

• Appoint an Executive Sponsor to champion racial equality 
• Regularly capture ethnicity data and publicise its progress
• Committing at board level to a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy towards harassment and bullying
• Making sure all leader and managers understand that supporting equality in the workplace is their collective responsibility
• Taking action to support the development and career progression of ethnic minority employees

Sandra Kerr OBE, Race Equality Director at BITC, said: “We would like to thank Jaguar Land Rover for setting out its commitment to being an inclusive and responsible employer. By signing up to the charter, it is showing the aspiration to have one of the most inclusive workplaces in the country.

“Together we can break down barriers, raise the aspirations and achievements of talented individuals, and deliver an enormous boost to the long-term economic position of the UK.”

Davy Price-Stephens said: “It demonstrates our commitment to progressing the BAME and broader diversity and inclusion agenda, and our determination to unleash the full potential of our current and next generation of talent.”

More than 170 public, private and charitable organisations have already signed up to the charter including BT, Sky, Bank of England and Shell.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: What signing up to the Race at Work charter

If you would like to get involved with the BAME network please email jlrbame@jaguarlandrover.com.

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