Jardine Motors, along with two of the world’s leading automotive brands, have signed up to support disability inclusion initiative The Valuable 500.
Jardine Motors Group, alongside Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin Lagonda, have announced they are the latest businesses to sign up to ground-breaking disability inclusion campaign The Valuable 500, which is seeking 500 global businesses to address approaches to disability in business.
Jardine Motors have committed to furthering their work to be inclusive of all disabled people. This will include their work to help shape the wheelchair of the future through its partnership with corporate charity Whizz Kidz, as well as its work placement opportunities for young wheelchair users, which helps them gain important employability skills and broaden their awareness of the types of roles and careers available in a commercial business.
The Valuable 500 campaign, launched at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Summit in Davos in January, will hold global business leaders accountable for disability inclusion in their businesses by ensuring it is discussed at leadership level and placed on their board agendas. Its mission is to unlock the value of people living with disabilities across the world.
Jardine Motors Group CEO, Neil Williamson, comments:
“For the last four years, we’ve been on a mission to change perceptions of the automotive industry and banish some of the out-dated 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 company 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 commented:
“Transportation can be one of the greatest daily challenges for a disabled person, so to have three leading automotive companies 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.
“Not only should we value each person for their uniqueness, but we must look at this through our business eyes and recognise there is a huge economic case for including the 1.3billion disabled people around the world at every stage of a business process too. Only then will we finally tap into a pool of talent that has been ignored for so long.
“We are delighted to welcome Jaguar Land Rover, Jardine Motors and Aston Martin Lagonda to our growing community of businesses fighting for inclusion and urge other businesses in the automotive industry, who have a true ability to transform the lives of disabled people, to come together and put an end to disability exclusion.”
