Sign up to the Women in Automotive Accord
Drive to Boost Women in Automotive Industry Revs Up
In a first for the automotive industry in New Zealand, the team being Women in Automotive New Zealand are today launching the Women in Automotive Accord.
Currently, women make up less than 17% of the overall automotive workforce, and the goal of the Women in Automotive Accord is to increase that to 30% by 2030, as well as grow the number of women in senior leadership positions.
All automotive businesses are being encouraged to join the Accord and collectively help to achieve the goal.
Natasha Callister, co-founder of Women in Automotive New Zealand says “to make a significant and lasting impact we knew we needed to craft a mechanism for bringing organisations on the journey and for measuring collective progress across the industry. The Accord is our framework for that”.
Businesses who sign up to the Accord will commit to seven principles aimed at creating diverse, inclusive workplaces which attract, retain, and grow top female talent.
“It’s well-established that a more diverse workforce has many benefits – not least to the bottom line,” Natasha says. This is a sentiment shared by Chanelle McDonald; General Manager for Passenger Vehicles at Volkswagen New Zealand who says “Females bring unique traits to the workplace that can help drive engagement, open-mindedness, and collaboration. Being a woman in automotive, or any industry for that matter, allows a whole new way of thinking which is a catalyst for innovation. With diversity in a workplace, whether gender or cultural, it drives businesses to unlock their full potential.”
As well as living up to the seven principles, signatories will be required to report and present their progress at an annual Automotive Accord Summit. Women in Automotive will help signatories develop an action plan and provide tips and support along the way. Fees to belong to the Accord are tiered to reflect the size of the business.
“That means any business, from a multi-national to a mum-and-dad operation, can play a part in driving positive change, and can learn from what’s working in other businesses” Natasha says.
