Automotive organisations Jaguar Land Rover (pictured), Jardine Motors and Aston Martin Lagonda are the latest international businesses to sign global disability inclusion commitment, The Valuable 500, operated by business campaign group #valuable.
The Valuable 500, launched in January 2019, is a year-long, global campaign that is asking 500 private sector organisations to pledge to support disability inclusion and equality. By joining, employers commit to placing disability inclusion on the board agenda in 2019, and to making one firm commitment to implement in 2019. Organisations must share this commitment both internally and externally.
The Valuable 500 was launched at the World Economic Forum’s annual summit in Davos, Switzerland.
Professor Sir Ralf Speth, chief executive officer at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “We are proud to join The Valuable 500 because Jaguar Land Rover understands the importance of making our business and our products more inclusive. It’s why we have been the presenting partner of the Invictus Games for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women since it began in 2014. Everyone at Jaguar Land Rover is hugely passionate about that and now we pledge to do even more through The Valuable 500.”
Dr Andy Palmer CMG, president and group chief executive officer at Aston Martin Lagonda, added: “We strive to continue to build a high-performance culture, characterised by a diverse and inclusive workforce able to meet the challenges of the future. Our performance depends on the mutual respect, diversity and the professional fulfilment of the people in our [organisation]. I am delighted to sign up to The Valuable 500 initiative to ensure we as [an organisation] are able to do even more to promote disability inclusion in our business.”
Other organisations that have signed The Valuable 500 since its inception include financial services businesses Barclays, HSBC, the Bank of England, RBS and Lloyds Banking Group. Professional services firm EY was one of the initial signatories, alongside technology organisation Microsoft. Professional services firms Deloitte UK, KPMG UK and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) UK signed the commitment in September 2019.
Neil Williamson, group chief executive officer at Jardine Motors, said: “For the last four years, we’ve been on a mission to change perceptions of the automotive industry and banish some of the outdated views we know those outside our industry have, so that we can continue to attract fresh new talent and be a retailer of choice for customers.
“For us at Jardine Motors, we particularly want to be seen as a beacon for those who just want to be the best, regardless of background, gender or ability. That’s why I’m proud to be supporting The Valuable 500 as an employer that’s committed to creating equal opportunities and an inclusive [workplace], accessible to all.
“When we started on our journey to change perceptions, we committed to increasing the percentage of women in management roles to 30% and I’m delighted that just four years in, we’ve achieved it. Now, by supporting The Valuable 500, we’re broadening our diversification and inclusion agenda even further and have made a number of actionable pledges that will help drive change in the way we attract new talent as well as deliver customer experiences.”
Caroline Casey, founder of The Valuable 500, added: “Transportation can be one of the greatest daily challenges for a disabled person, so to have three leading automotive [organisations] come on board and pledge to make their business more accessible and inclusive of disabled people, is a fantastic moment and truly a huge step forward.”
