Right cultural ethos earns National Grid diversity/inclusion award

Wellbeing and Diversity & Inclusion in Fleet is an award introduced for 2022 that recognises the companies which look after their car and van drivers in the best way possible.

The inaugural Fleet News Award was presented to National Grid fleet manager Lorna McAtear, who has developed a culture of diversity, inclusion and staff wellbeing both in her team and among her drivers, ensuring they link in with the wider business ethos.

The fleet team’s initiatives form part of National Grid’s own comprehensive Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy.

McAtear, who has been in the role for two years, says one of the keys to diversity is “respect for and appreciation of differences in ethnicity, gender,age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, education, religion and more”.

Fleet News: Do you think there is a lack of diversity in the fleet industry?

Lorna McAtear: We’ve still got areas that are woefully inadequate. There are meetings I go into, and I will walk in a room of about 40 people and I’m still the only female. I don’t think that’s intentional. I just think we haven’t managed to get enough people to understand you can move into fleet.

We are seeing more females and more younger people coming into the industry and I think that’s a reflection of the industry moving into areas where it needs different skill sets, such as sustainability.