Dear Attitude readers,
On behalf of Bentley Motors and our BeProud colleague network, thank you to the lovely team at Attitude magazine for letting us empower the reveal of the second list of LGBTQ+ trailblazers in the Attitude 101 issue. In November 2020, we announced our intention to be a trailblazer in sustainable luxury mobility. It’s a plan we call Beyond100. We were the first in our sector to state our aim to become end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030; the first to introduce plug-in, electrified, true luxury cars you can drive today; and now our factory in Crewe, Cheshire, has just been certified as carbon neutral for the third year running. But Beyond100 isn’t just about sustainability. We also want to become the most diverse luxury car company, with colleagues as extraordinary and eclectic as our customers. Customers who are being increasingly conscious in their consumption, rather than conspicuous.
A historic car factory in the northwest of England isn’t the first thing, perhaps, that comes to mind when you think about diversity. And it’s true, we do employ a lot of Cheshire-bred, straight white men — all of them delightful. But increasingly the mix is changing. It has to, because we recognise the fundamental importance of diverse experiences and perspectives to drive creativity and innovation. And is there a group more creative or innovative than the LGBTQ+ community? (Well, I would say that.)
We launched a five-step strategy earlier this year focusing on outreach, recruitment, succession planning, culture and development. This is being underpinned by company-wide engagement to educate about and remove unconscious bias. Plus, the recently launched colleague network groups, spearheaded by BeProud for our LGBTQ+ colleagues, are already helping to encourage awareness and understanding right across the business.
The literal vehicle for the strategy is called the Unifying Spur, an automotive artwork that celebrates diversity in all its forms. One of our in-house designers created a piece of four-wheeled art using the nine colours of the Progress flag. His design joins the words “Love is Love” through a single, unbroken line that traces faces, dancing figures and shapes – representing the unifying power of humanity, regardless of race, creed or sexuality. First revealed to Bentley colleagues, the number of Unifying Spurs has grown to five, which have toured the UK, Europe and the US (and will soon arrive in Australia), appearing at more Pride events than Kylie Minogue (love her).
Our mission is simple. We want our business to reflect our global customer base and, most importantly of all, we want to ensure that we all work in an environment where everyone feels safe to bring their true self to work and valued for who they are and what they can do. This goes hand in hand with our ethos that only a rich and inclusive culture, where everyone is supported to achieve their full potential, regardless of their background, is what will help to steer our business forward for the next one hundred years.
So from a 101 year-old company intent on becoming a trailblazer to 101 individuals that already are, many congratulations to you all. And if anyone reading this would like to join our journey by becoming a member of the team or as a customer, I’d love to hear from you.