Accelerate 25, a five-year programme of action that was formalised in December 2020, is our route towards reaching that goal.
Its purpose is clear: we want at least 25% of all new employees to come from under-represented groups until the end of 2025.
As we reflect, we are pleased with our progress. But we are not complacent, and we aspire to more. We know that recruitment is not the only step that needs to be taken. Retaining and developing our talent is critical.
We will continue to push and hold ourselves accountable, as we seek to achieve our aim of becoming a more diverse and inclusive team.
We know that internal initiatives are crucial in embedding Accelerate 25 into our initiatives.
To steer us as we move forward, we created a dedicated DE&I Forum, composed of 25 team volunteers from under-represented groups.
Together, they help set our focus for the future by shaping and influencing our framework of values and behaviours.
Community is belonging. We believe in the power of building our community – and that is why we:
Hold an annual celebration of Pride Month with team member events to raise awareness of the importance of being an ally
Featured the Mercedes Pride star on our car and driver helmets for the first time for the three Grands Prix taking place in June 2022
Hosted an INWED Film Night in celebration of Women in STEM and Engineering
Organised Lunch & Learn sessions on Menopause Awareness, British Sign Language, Ethics of Ethnic Diversity, Building Confidence at Work and Neurodiversity
Held a Girls on Track UK STEM day, welcoming the daughters and nieces of our team members
Extended our official sponsorship of International Women in Engineering Day – for the fifth consecutive year
Rolled out bespoke Accelerate Inclusion workshops – for everyone, alongside Unconscious Bias training for our recruiting managers.
All these activities create ever-increasing awareness and understanding – both of which are fundamental to creating lasting change.
Inspiration. Motivation. Education.
Real, lasting long-term change relies upon all three of these factors working in tandem. That is why we are continuing our work with the Mulberry Schools Trust, the STEMettes and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers UK this year.
We also welcomed two new Accelerate 25 partners in 2022: the Sutton Trust and the Business Disability Forum.
Our hope is that by forging these partnerships the students of today aspire to join our team in the future.
A partnership between our team and The Mulberry Schools Trust.
The Mulberry STEM Academy is an extra-curricular provision for learning, inspiration and innovation. Students from the ages of 7 to 18 are encouraged to develop their passion and aptitude for STEM subjects, based on a carefully designed programme.
In 2021:
24 Year 10 students and 24 Year 12 students graduated from the STEM Academy
50 students took part in three careers conferences to network with our team members
10 students took part in a one-week work experience placement at our headquarters
In 2022:
100 students, 50 in Year 10 and 50 in Year 12, began their programme in January
24 students took part in a one-week work experience placement at our headquarters
40 students are competing in the Mulberry Greenpower project, supported by our team members.
The STEMettes are an award-winning UK social enterprise. They work to inspire the next generation of girls, young women, and non-binary young people into STEM fields. So far in our journey with Stemmettes, we have seen:
34 young Stemettes engage in individual four-month mentoring programmes with 34 of our team members to support and guide their STEM journeys
10 young women took part in the Stemettes Certification Academy, completing an online STEM programme that culminated in an industry recognised ICAgile Fundamentals qualification
Four of our team's young female engineers took part in Instagram Live sessions, with 50 of our team members facilitating interview workshops and CV review sessions.
We have recently renewed our partnership with the Stemettes and welcomed them to the factory for the first time. We look forward to taking part in a Digital Leadership Academy, panel events and the Agile Certification Academy over the next year.
The Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers works to inspire people of black and minority ethnic origin to enter the world of engineering and increase diversity within the UK’s engineering workforce. We want to be part of the solution. That is why we partnered with AFBE-UK, so we could build awareness and access to future engineering roles, particularly within our team. So far in our journey with AFBE-UK, we have:
Organised for engineering students from AFBE-UK to visit our headquarters and network with our management team
Participated in AFBE-UK Virtual Careers fair for young students aged 12 to 18 – providing valuable guidance and mentoring.
As we look ahead, our renewed partnership will include a dedicated mentoring scheme that matches 10 engineering students with our employees for a six-month programme, and a panel event at our headquarters for AFBE-UK students to meet the team and form important connections for the future.
Our newest Accelerate 25 Partner, The Sutton Trust works to tackle social mobility issues by improving access to high-quality education and employment opportunities, focusing on high academic performing students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Together, we will work on three key strategic areas:
Pathways to Engineering
Careers Events
Education Summer Schools
In late 2021, we became a member of the Business Disability Forum, sharing their aim of creating a disability-smart world by removing barriers that could prevent disabled people from thriving and contributing to business structures. Together, we are working to achieve Disability Confident status, as we endeavour to understand how we can become more disability smart, as well as better educate our team members.
Our official team charity, chosen by our team members, is Alzheimer’s Research UK. Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK's leading dementia research charity, dedicated to making breakthroughs in dementia research possible. To June 2022, our team members have taken on personal challenges to raise an incredible £74,356 for Alzheimer’s Research UK, closing in on our target of £100,000. These essential funds could enable Alzheimer’s Research UK to support over 3,000 hours of dementia research.
Our team members have truly gone all in to support the charity. From one cycling 5,861km over nine months, and another completing a half marathon around Silverstone Circuit - to one taking on a hair-raising wing walk on a plane in mid-flight, and another trekking across the desert to reach the ancient city of Petra. Pushing themselves as individuals. Binding together as a team. To support a cause shared by us all.
Our home is in the Northamptonshire market town of Brackley. We care about making a difference to our area and have been proud to support our local community since our site first opened in 1998.
Our support has included:
Helping Brackley Food Bank – who support the most vulnerable members of our community with parcels and toiletry care packages
Working with Brackley Elves Community Group and Helping You Live to provide Brackley’s lowest income families with support
Donating to Brackley Youth Engagement group to enhance their delivery of ‘play and activity’ events
We work closely with Brackley Town Council to sponsor and assist in the organisation of much-needed social occasions, such as the Brackley Firework Display, for everyone to enjoy together
Creating a positive impact within our community matters to our team. Supporting local schools and education initiatives is one way we try to create an impact. Some of our support has included:
Donating laptop devices to local primary and secondary schools to enhance STEM learning
Organising team member presentations to engage students in motorsport and the varied career paths racing can offer
Arranging factory visits to inspire and inform young students about career in STEM subjects
Offering signed memorabilia to local Parent Teacher Associations to raise funds for new learning facilities
Involving local students in our employee engagement events to gain industry experience
Inviting members from local girl guiding groups to our ‘Girls on Track’ activity day
F1 in Schools is an international STEM competition for school children in which small groups of students work as a team to design, manufacture and race miniature cars.
Our team are keen advocates and supporters of the programme. In fact, many of our team members have taken part in the programme during their own school years.
There has been no shortage of enthusiasm and passion from our most senior leaders to get involved. From Technical Director, Mike Elliott; Trackside Engineering Director, Andrew Shovlin; and Chief People Officer, Paul Mills - all have attended an F1 In Schools event.
They provided advice on the entries, but also careers advice for students who wanted to continue their adventures in a STEM career.
All have the potential to raise significant donations for good causes. That is why we have supported over 110 separate charitable causes through donating team and driver memorabilia. Some standout highlights include:
A signed technical drawing raised £2,800 for Together for Short Lives
A set of signed Lewis Hamilton race boots raised £10,500 raised for the Small Steps Project
Factory tours and other signed memorabilia raised £15,500 for the Grand Prix Trust
A signed Lewis race suit raised £45,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation