Diversity and Inclusion remains firmly on the agenda for a number of determined leaders in Automotive who collectively see the importance of industry change. In fact, industry leaders from medium to large sized public and private dealership groups, a national bank, a private consultancy group and one brave manufacturer, joined forces late last year following the AADA Conference, recognising the need to create dialogue and agitate action on diversity and inclusion in the Automotive industry.
International Women’s Day 2019 has been recognised by St. George Bank as a significant platform to champion the campaign #BalanceforBetter, with the bank planning a networking breakfast to share stories and promote conversations surrounding the need for balance in the Automotive Industry. Kirzsten Peart, Head of Manufacturer Alliances Auto Finance, at St. George explained, “We recognise that gender balance drives a better working world and customer experience, and we invite active engagement from men and women in the industry to be part of the solution”.
Kirzsten is one of the forces behind the newly established association and has played an integral role in the formation of the trading name currently being registered through the Department of Fair Trade. Her cohort is reconvening this month on the Gold Coast where its inception began to firm-up the Management Committee structure being modelled on diversity and inclusion. These meetings of the minds are called Collab[oration] Days and have been a vital part in the process for clearing defining the charter of what the association wants to achieve for the Automotive Industry.
“Research and data insights are at the top of the list for our Collab Day this month and will be presented by one of the association members who has a consulting background from the industry”, states Megan McKenzie, Group HR Manager Frizelle Sunshine. She adds, “It’s so important to know and understand current statistics so that we can set targets and measure progress against these in the future, as well as identify trends in performance”. In addition, the association will commence discussions for their first event where they invite women and men from the Automotive Industry who have progressive and innovative thoughts about making commercially viable business decisions in regards to diversity and inclusion.
2019 is set to accelerate the focus on diversity and inclusion in the Automotive Industry beginning on International Women’s Day.
