Mclaren gears up its diversity programme
McLaren Racing has announced that it has built a strategic alliance with four expert partners to drive forward a programme of collaborative initiatives to diversify talent in motorsport.
The programme will see McLaren collaborate with four partners: Women’s Engineering Society (WES); EqualEngineers; The Smallpeice Trust; and Creative Access.
Women’s Engineering Society (WES) and McLaren Racing will launch a reciprocal mentorship programme for McLaren Racing’s female engineers and WES mentees, alongside sponsoring the WES Annual and Student Conferences, and playing a part in the annual ‘Lottie Tour’ campaign.
As a founding partner in the EqualEngineers Pathways Programme, McLaren Racing will provide professional support for mentoring and career events. McLaren Racing will also join the 2021 Engineering Talent Awards as a Principal Partner. In addition, EqualEngineers will deliver internal training for McLaren Racing employees, focused on creating inclusive cultures.
The Smallpeice Trust and McLaren Racing will co-design a custom STEM challenge day to introduce students to the exciting world of engineering. McLaren Racing will also provide funding support to their Arkwright Engineering Scholarship scheme, which supports A-Level students with financial support, enrichment activities and mentoring opportunities.
Creative Access will work with McLaren Racing on improving inclusive strategies, policies and recruitment practices to hire, educate and uplift diverse talent in its creative functions. McLaren Racing will also provide bursary support to the Creative Access Career Development Bursary.
Commenting on the diversity programme, Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: “McLaren Racing is fuelled by brave innovation, but brave innovation relies on diversity of thought and experience across all levels and functions, reflective of our fans, our partners and our communities.
By investing in grassroots talent through these STEM initiatives, mentorship and inclusive development programmes, we aim to inspire the future generations of talent by fuelling their passion for engineering and F1. In doing so, we strive to become a more diverse and inclusive team and sport through our commitment to F1’s WeRaceAsOne platform.”
Daniel Gallo, Chief People Officer, McLaren Racing, said: “Creating a diverse and inclusive organisation is central to our people and cultural journey as a racing team and employer. We are committed to driving this forward over the coming years, acknowledging this will take time and energy over the long-term to achieve.
“We are excited to be launching McLaren Racing Engage in conjunction with some truly amazing experts in their fields who share our vision and passion for this topic. Through the alliance, we hope to reach those who would not automatically see F1 and engineering as a career choice for them, so we can tackle the growing demand for STEM and creative skills in our industry.”
Tim Bampton, Chief Communications Officer, McLaren Racing, added: "As part of the societal priority in our sustainability roadmap, our objective is for our workforce to be more representative of the population by 2030.
“We are already engaged with the Formula 1 taskforce to help advance the agenda of diversity, inclusion and opportunity across the sport in all its forms. Now, McLaren Racing Engage will directly help us to progress in our efforts to positively impact, influence and inspire the communities where we work and race.”
