2 minute read
Interview: Laura Brailey
Top Mazda Motors UK exec Laura Brailey tells James Batchelor how its Gender Balance Initiative is addressing important issues.
Laura Brailey
Head of retail operations at Mazda Motors UK
The Diversity and Inclusion category was a new addition to the Car Dealer Used Car Awards last year, and it proved to be hugely popular with dealers and businesses all keen to highlight the work that they’re doing in this vital area.
Taking one of the highly commended places was Mazda Motors UK, which was the only carmaker to appear on the shortlist.
Earlier in 2022, Car Dealer sat down with Laura Brailey, head of retail operations at Mazda Motors UK, who’s spearheading the carmaker’s Gender Balance Initiative, to discover more about the challenges facing the motor trade when it comes to recruitment, gender balance and greater inclusivity.
‘When I started on this journey 18 months or so ago, it became clear to me this isn’t just personal to Mazda but to the industry,’ she said. ‘More than that, it’s how different we are as an industry about this – some dealer MDs I talk to get it straight away.
‘The biggest issue right now – and this is true of many other sectors – is attracting good, talented people, whether they are male or female, black or white. I genuinely believe if we do not tackle the female element as a starting point, we are already halving the talent pool.’
One area Brailey has been working on is ‘gender decoding’ and analysing the language used in job adverts. She discovered that many adverts for dealership roles use language that subliminally attract men but not women
‘I’ve spoken to dealers, and the ones who run their adverts through decoding tools and then change the language and even the job titles are amazed at the increase in women applying for the jobs.’
Brailey is also working on getting dealers to change salary structures, making them more consistent and less bonus-driven.
‘In July 2022, we did some research about people and the three areas that dealers think are most critical or most challenging at the moment,’ said Brailey. ‘The three areas were development and training, recruitment, and remuneration. But if we focus more on diversity, it’s surely going to help these areas.’ Mazda UK also carried out consumer research and discovered that customers want change within dealerships, too. Brailey and Mazda have moved fast on the initiative. The goal is to have 30 per cent representation of diverse women in key leadership roles by 2030 across the company’s 122-strong dealer network. The carmaker is working closely with the Automotive 30% Club, and already 40 per cent of Mazda’s dealer network are signed up to the Gender Balance Initiative. Brailey is determined to continue addressing the balance and to make the motor trade a more inclusive, welcoming and happier environment to work in.
