Agustín Martín, President and MD at Toyota (GB) Plc
"Women need to see and aspire to leadership positions and they need to see women in those positions so that they know it’s attainable and they can deliver exceptionally well", comments Agustín Martín, President and Managing Director, Toyota (GB).
It’s a really exciting time for the automotive industry as we look towards the future and our movement towards becoming a mobility organisation.
Our customers are expecting more and more from us and in a market where new entrants are emerging we need to accelerate change, be innovate, differentiate ourselves and anticipate what we need to do in order to do business the way our customers love.
People are at the heart of our business and our people will be the pioneers of the changes we need to make. It’s even more important than ever that we have a diverse mix of people in the business as this will provide increased innovation.
To enable every individual to give their best and be their best we need to create a truly inclusive environment where we value the difference each and every individual brings and that we are creating the conditions for each individual to thrive.
The Automotive 30% Club gives us a collective opportunity to learn from each other and showcase best practice so we can attract, grow and retain the talent that will be key to our future, alongside showcasing the opportunities our industry offers in terms of careers. We need new ideas and thinking to stay ahead and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Leadership perspective
Women need to see and aspire to leadership positions and they need to see women in those positions so that they know it’s attainable and they can deliver exceptionally well. This is where the Inspiring e-zine that we sponsor can play its part. Through Inspiring great stories from real models in our industry are showcased, alongside showcasing great initiatives happening in the industry to attract and retain and hence share best practice, great tips, tools and different thinking. Fundamentally it’s also about creating a super network of women and men (as its inclusive to who may wish to join) where we can learn from each other.
Our Women on the Verge programme, which is fundamentally about women owning and changing the conversation about themselves, owning and believing in who they are and what they can be is making a huge difference. Over 50 women in the business have now attended. The programme focuses on “Perception, what is your personal brand? What you bring, what you stand for? And the internal conversation of what you say to yourself, giving yourself confidence, emotional resilience. And finally, talking about who you are, what you do and your action plan.
Our role as leaders
I am excited about what the future will bring for our industry however to do that we need to build diverse and inclusive teams so we are more reflective of our customers. Our role is to coach those teams, bringing out the best in them, accelerating their potential, so they harness their curiosity and creativity to deliver new services and exceptional customer service.