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• The carmaker has been recognised by the Financial Times as a leading company in inclusion in Europe
• SEAT is ranked 65^th out of 850 European companies in the Diversity Leaders report by FT-Statista
• The company has been chosen to form part of the Board of Directors of REDI, the first Business Network for LGBT+ diversity and inclusion in Spain

Martorell, 05/02/2021. SEAT joins the Board of Directors of REDI (Business Network for LGBT+ Diversity and Inclusion), the first business and expert network on diversity and inclusion in Spain, in its commitment to promote respect and diversity as an integrated value in the company’s daily activity. Guillermo Cerrón, one of the driving forces behind Pride@SEAT, will form part of the association’s new management as a member representing the carmaker.

By joining REDI, the company is taking another step forward in its goal of fostering an inclusive and respectful environment among employees and promoting talent regardless of gender, identity or sexual orientation. This work has been recognised by the British newspaper Financial Times in its Diversity Leaders report, which positions SEAT as a leading company in Europe in terms of inclusion and diversity.

The Diversity Leaders study, conducted by the FT-Statista research consultancy, places the carmaker in 65^th position out of 850 European companies, an international distinction that endorses the company’s firm commitment to people. The ranking was based on surveys of more than 100,000 employees and experts in human resources and recruitment on companies’ inclusiveness policies and their efforts to promote various aspects such as gender balance, openness to all forms of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability and age.

“SEAT is firmly committed to people and diversity, tolerance, respect and inclusion are part of our core values. Joining the REDI Board of Directors is a further step in our commitment to integration in the workplace” says Xavier Ros, Executive Vice-president for Human Resources and Organisation at SEAT. “We aim to foster an inclusive, open company, removed from barriers and stereotypes, and to raise awareness both within the company and in society. Thanks to each individual’s uniqueness, SEAT will continue to be an innovative, competitive and sustainable company” adds Ros.

According to REDI President Miguel Castro, “We welcome SEAT S.A. as a member of REDI and its incorporation to the new Board of Directors. It’s important to point out that this is a leading company in a sector in which innovation is at the heart of its activity and that, by promoting the management of diversity and LGBT+ inclusion, it is making a firm commitment to extend this innovative and transformative spirit to the people who make up its workforce. We have no doubt that this will also have a positive impact on the workforces of the supplier companies in its supply chain.”

Guillermo Cerrón, promoter of Pride@SEAT, explains that “by joining the Board of Directors of REDI, we are fulfilling our plan to continue promoting LGBT+ diversity and inclusion at SEAT. Initiatives such as this one make our commitment to mainstreaming equality in the company a reality.”

Commitment to diversity

Tolerance, respect and inclusion are essential values for SEAT. These principles are included in the company’s diversity and inclusion strategy, which contemplates the dimensions of gender, generations, nationalities and LGBT+, as well as in the Volkswagen Group’s Group Essentials, seven principles on which the corporate culture is based, namely responsibility, honesty, courage, diversity, pride, solidarity and reliability.

Within this framework, Pride@SEAT was launched in June 2020, an LGTB+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and related communities) initiative set up by people working at SEAT and supported by the Human Resources department. Pride@SEAT, which promoted joining the REDI association, was created to combat the stigma suffered by the majority of LGTB+ people and to promote changes in favour of inclusion and equality in the workplace. With this aim in mind, SEAT participated in the presentation of REDI in Barcelona, which took place on 14 January at CASA SEAT.

In addition, SEAT has joined the Diversity Charter, a charter of principles that aims to promote a global commitment of businesses in favour of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Organised by the Diversity Foundation, the project has more than 1,000 signatory companies in Spain and more than 12,000 across Europe. SEAT’s joining REDI adds to the initiatives that the carmaker carries out to promote diversity and inclusion among its employees and raise awareness.