Bradford’s JCT600 signals gender balance priority with Automotive 30% membership

Auto dealer JCT600 has become the latest firm to join the UK Automotive 30% Club, an organisation working to improve gender balance in the sector.

As part of the club, JCT600 bosses will join a lineup of CEOs and managing directors from automotive manufacturers, retailers and suppliers committed to having 30% of their key leadership roles occupied by women by 2030.

Automotive 30% was founded in 2016 by Julia Muir, chief exec of Sheffield-based social enterprise Gaia Innovation.

Today, its 23-strong member base includes Bentley, Volkswagen Group, Auto Trader, Carwow and other big names from the sector.

Bradford-headquartered JCT600 generated revenues of more than £1.25bn in 2018 from a network of more than 50 dealerships, primarily in the North.

The firm’s HR director, Katie Saunders, said: “The automotive industry has traditionally been dominated by men, but given the huge pool of female talent out there, we want to do everything we can to change that.

“At JCT600, we have been working hard to create a culture in which women feel welcome and valued, from the way in which we recruit to ensuring that the right training and support is in place to enable them to progress.”

She continued: “We’re starting to see encouraging numbers of women coming into the business, from young apprentices, many joining in traditionally male roles such as technicians, to more experienced women progressing their career with us in management positions.

“We’re proud to be part of the Automotive 30% Club – it’s great to see some of the leading names in the sector coming together so we can make a real difference to gender balance in the industry.”

Julia Muir commented: “We have great pleasure in welcoming JCT600 to the UK Automotive 30% Club.

“It’s wonderful to have a company on board who are already making great strides towards closing the gender gap within their organisation.”

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