Congratulations to all the Volkswagen Group UK Ltd women who have been recognised today in the 2024 Autocar Great Women Awards! Nine years on from the first event, it’s fantastic to see the breadth and depth of talent from across the industry in the top 100. We thank them for the contribution they make to the business, and for being role models for your colleagues and the industry.

Four of the team from Volkswagen Network Sales took part in the British Heart Foundation event to cycle the 54 miles from London to Brighton: Phil Aubrey, Jason Webb, Gavin Kapadia and Tom Protheroe. They were cycling to raise money for a heart related charity Cardiomyopathy UK, after suffering the loss of a friend to this undiagnosed condition and are close to raising £1,500.

In Pride month, to mark the occasion here at Volkswagen Group UK Ltd, our We Drive Proud Employee Network Group hosted a fireside chat with Jay Virgo from the local LGBTQ+ charity Q:alliance so all employees could learn more about Pride Month: why it still matters, why true allies are more important than ever and what we can all do to make a big difference for the LGBTQ+ community.

We hosted a People Forum at our National Learning Centre in Milton Keynes for representatives of our retailer network investor groups. They spent the day learning about leading change, with a sharp eye on customer experience and how employee satisfaction impacts customer satisfaction.

We’ve received the Inclusive Employers Standard Gold award in recognition of our commitment to diversity, equality and inclusivity. We’re the first automotive company to achieve this. Only four per cent of companies globally which go through the assessment attain the top Gold standard. We scored a full 100 per cent in three of the six pillars which are rigorously assessed by Inclusive Employers.