One-on-One with Rebecca Seymour, Global Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Stellantis
May 20, 2022 – Mobility opens minds and drives better understanding between people from different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs. As a sustainable mobility tech company, Stellantis works every day to offer cutting-edge freedom of mobility that opens societies, bridges divides, and makes connections stronger.
We do that in an inclusive environment that spans 170 nationalities across all six of our regions, creating a workplace in which everyone can achieve their best, free of prejudice and with equal opportunities for all.
Rebecca Seymour, Global Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Stellantis, explains why promoting greater diversity and inclusion (D&I) is so important for the Company.
What is the Stellantis strategy to maximize inclusion and increase diversity?
We believe that diversity and inclusion are important factors for Stellantis’ success. As a global company with 170 nationalities across 130 markets, we value our differences to build a stronger workplace and to foster a smart, innovative, and open-minded workforce, knowing that the greater the representation is within our organization, the higher the likelihood is that we will outperform our competitors. We also recognize that diversity and inclusion discussions may differ when considered through the lens of so many cultures, countries, and backgrounds. That’s why our Global Diversity and Inclusion Strategy begins with finding global common ground, while considering all our regional differences. This is the first of our three guiding principles, alongside respecting human values, as well as respecting local traditions, citizenship, and context. This strategy is already charging our capacity to push for structural changes and I’m sure that over the next decade we will continue to spearhead positive change.
How does Stellantis address D&I topics, aspirational targets, and outcomes across so many different regions and cultures?
That’s one of the most challenging parts of our job. We live in a polycultural world now. Our presence spans across six regions, from Europe to the Middle East and Asia Pacific, from China to North and South America. Each region has different dynamics and expectations. So, we have set up various regional D&I leads to create the right initiatives, content, and actions for every country in which we operate. The regional leads give us key information and feedback about the global initiatives we run, developing smart ideas and new approaches. Sure, these teams have different perspectives and backgrounds, but they are brought together by the same desire to bring all the different personalities, experiences and thoughts to the table. I think this common energy partnered with the willingness to have courageous conversations is super powerful.
As part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis announced the goal of having more than 35% of women in management positions by the end of this decade. How are we going to reach this?
Our ambition is to have 26% of women in leadership roles by the end of 2022, 30% by 2025 and more than 35% by 2030. It’s an ambitious target, we know, but we have our sight set clearly on this. After over 13 years working for Groupe PSA and now Stellantis, I have had so many opportunities to develop myself, working in different roles and locations across the Company, and meeting many great leaders and mentors that have given me the guidance and preparation for this role. Yes, things have changed since then and to accelerate and consolidate this transition we are launching a Global Learning Pathway that focuses on the global diversity dimensions of Gender, Nationality and Generation. Through this initiative, we are helping our workforce to better comprehend what each of these dimensions means and how to develop effective responses to practical challenges. We also have an incredibly strong and active global Women of Stellantis business resource group with thousands of members around the world working to improve the representation and advancement of women inside the Company.
Technological innovation to support electrification, connectivity, autonomous driving and so on is challenging the status quo. How are we attracting talent from a wider pool and under-represented backgrounds?
As an HR leader, I can look from a unique perspective at the seismic transformation that is changing our industry. I believe that diversity and inclusion are key elements in this process of change and our recruitment strategy is built on these values, as declared by our company purpose: Powered by our diversity, we lead the way the world moves. This serves as a guide for all our employees in their everyday decision-making and gives them the framework to know where we are going, not only as a business but also as a community of people. And I personally think that when we recruit talent, they want to work at Stellantis because we’re doing something that matters, because we share the same values. That’s so important for us, because we really aspire to be a magnet for the best and brightest. And I believe we already are. Since EV Day in July 2021, we’ve received 15,000 resumes from people with experience at tech companies. We’ve already filled 300 open positions. This is a first step toward our objective of having 4,500 people in our Software division within the next two years.
And, more on the personal side, what’s one thing that has surprised you since beginning your role earlier this year?
One size does not fit all in D&I. I realized this early on in my role. As a career HR leader, D&I has always been a professional and personal interest of mine. However, since joining my new job it became very clear that the approach to D&I needs to be different depending on the lens through which you look. To really understand what D&I means to individuals, you must put yourself in their shoes, so I have spent my days speaking to people from all over the world to understand how D&I works in different countries and for different minority groups. Understanding the history of under representation and why advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace is important for moral and business reasons. What continues to surprise me is that there’s always something new to learn and discover in this role. And that’s amazing.
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