Mercedes sees positive progress within team through diversity campaign
F1 News
- GPblog.com
In December 2020, Mercedes launched the Accelerate 25 program to fight inequality and stand up for more diversity. The team provides an update on positive progress through the campaign one year later.
The five-year program is intended to ensure that Mercedes' team becomes more diverse. By the end of 2025, the team aims to have more than 25 percent of all new employees come from underrepresented groups.
Figures show that 38 percent of new team members in 2021 come from underrepresented groups. The number of female employees rose from 12 to 14 percent, and the percentage of employees from ethnic minority groups rose from three to six percent. These are the first steps toward a more diverse and inclusive team.
First steps have been taken
Mercedes says in an official press release that it is satisfied with the progress made in the first year, but the team acknowledges that there is still a long way to go. Team boss Toto Wolff says the following: "In the first year of our Accelerate 25 programme, we have made promising progress to develop a more diverse and inclusive team."
"Through detailed internal scrutiny and with the guidance of our excellent partners, we have been able to take the first steps on our journey in enabling access to STEM education and careers. To see a small but significant increase in our numbers of team members from under-represented groups is a sign that we are making progress, however we remain acutely conscious that this is a long-term commitment and look forward to building on those initial steps."