VW looks to diversify its work force, leadership

Like other legacy automakers, Volkswagen historically has not always been a model of diversity. The top board of management at the German automaker is made up of white men and one white woman, while all of its brand CEOs in North America are men.

But as a company committed to promoting from within, the key to changing that lies in making sure its ranks are filled with the best candidates, with backgrounds as varied as the customers it serves as the world's second-largest automaker. That will take not just extended recruitment efforts but mindfulness and commitment from current leadership to improve, something that is growing, said Kelechi Ikemefuna, senior director for diversity and talent at VW of America.

"We use what the business goals are and what the business objectives are as our jumping off point, meaning that all of our DE&I activities have to show value back to the business, whether it's through how we train our current employees, how we bring in external applicants from a diversity and inclusion perspective, how we provide leadership development training to our current employees or how we develop employees internally within our organization," Ikemefuna said.

She said VW of America in recent years has expanded its sourcing pipeline for potential interns as well as for recent college graduates and other potential early-career employees to make sure they "mirror the communities that we serve within our respective locations."

Those efforts have allowed VW to add to its bench strength of potential candidates for higher-level positions.

Filling the bench with a diverse group of job candidates is a great first step, but the decision makers who actually select successful candidates need to be dialed into the mission as well as mindful of why it exists, said Andrew Savvas, VW's head of U.S. sales.

"Once all these future leaders are within our organization, it's our role as a leadership group ... to not just bring them in but to make them feel comfortable" within VW, Savvas said. "That's a role we have to recognize in the industry — that once we get them in the door, we have to make sure they feel comfortable and they're included within the organization. We have to help."

Savvas, an Australian who moved to the U.S. from the U.K. to become head of sales for VW of America in January 2022, said leaders need to always be mindful of what they don't know, especially when it comes to issues of diversity and inclusion.

"The first thing I need to recognize is that I'm trying hard at it, but I am not good at it — and I need to get better," he admitted, saying he and other VW leaders have come to count on Ikemefuna's team for guidance.

"I know what it's like to be the child of a migrant, but I don't know what it's like to be Hispanic or an African American. I think I do, but I've got no idea. And we make the assumption that we know how a Hispanic or an African American or an Iraqi migrant in America feels; I've got a sense, but I need to partner with Kelechi, who's an expert in her field, and who can provide data analytics, history, expertise and education."

Savvas said his own experiences early on in his career as an accountant have shaped his dedication to the importance of diversity and inclusion now.

He recalled how his confidence was helped by a board member at his former employer, Toyota, just because that person said good morning to him when they walked past each other.

He said that now that he's a senior executive, it's part of his job to make sure others get the same feeling from him.

"That's how I feel about my role within this organization. 'OK, how can I help that person?' Male, female, doesn't matter; Black, white, Hispanic — have to make a conscious effort" to make them feel comfortable and included and part of the team, Savvas said. "And I have to make sure that we're leaning in a bit harder to make sure they know that we recognize them and their potential, and that why they're in this business is because of their potential. They have to have the confidence to be themselves and lean into that as well."