VRA launches wellbeing, diversity and inclusion initiative

The Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) launched a wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion (W, D&I) committee, chaired by Olivia Mills, remarketing manager at Zenith.

The committee aims to promote W, D&I across the industry and offer support to the growing number of VRA members, which has nearly doubled since the pandemic.

The committee already includes Rachel Clift from motor industry BEN and Stephen Whitton from (M)enable, with two additional positions available.

Mills (pictured) stressed the importance of W, D&I, stating: “W, D&I plays an imperative role in increasing employee engagement, making individuals feel valued, and allowing them to be their true selves in the workplace. There is unequivocal evidence that a diverse team better represents customers, fosters innovation, and increases sales revenue.”

She said the VRA is uniquely positioned to guide and support organisations within remarketing in adopting and sharing best practices in W, D&I. “It's crucial we come together on W, D&I to attract and retain the best talent in our industry.”

A W, D&I questionnaire will be distributed to VRA members soon.

“We want to establish a baseline for W, D&I within the VRA before creating detailed future plans. Our aim is to engage with HR departments across our membership through regular member meetings, webinars, and white papers,” she said.

Philip Nothard, chair of the VRA, highlighted the significance of this new initiative: “This is an exciting development for the VRA. With our growing membership, more remarketing organisations will benefit from this initiative. We already have two successful committees focused on membership and future trends, and we’re pleased to add wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion as our third.”

Nothard also expressed his confidence in the new committee, saying, “This is a crucial subject, and we are fortunate to have experts like Olivia, Rachel, and Steven to assist our members. The committee is already gaining momentum quickly.”