MCLAREN RACING
MCLAREN AIM TO INSPIRE FUTURE GENERATION OF HIGHPERFORMANCE TALENT Daniel Gallo, Chief People Officer at McLaren Racing shares an insight into the Formula 1 team’s commitment to actively driving a diverse and inclusive workforce as he leads the British motor racing teams’ ambitious and strategic vision. Daniel Gallo has been involved in diversity and inclusion agendas for more than two decades, from his first internal role with Asda Walmart through to Liverpool FC, before joining McLaren Racing just before the pandemic. The application of diversity and inclusion in sport in general and then specifically in motorsport, presents its own unique challenges. Unlike other sports, the team behind the team plays significant importance in the ‘on-field’ performance of the athletes. The drivers sit just at the pinnacle of a dedicated team. Pit stops can make or break a race, and that’s the pit crews doing, not the drivers, and when you look at the performance of the drivers, there is a team of hundreds of people who have been involved in car development and generating revenue to allow the cars to race. McLaren take a holistic approach to human performance and the organisations commitment to
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actively driving a diverse and inclusive workforce to improve business functionalities. “What can actively be done is very critical. I think it’s quite easy for organisations to ‘diversity wash’ where they tick boxes and just keep the stakeholders happy that they are doing just enough to get by.
“We make it very clear at McLaren that this is not a tick box exercise. We are absolutely committed to driving long-term, sustainable, positive change, not just within our organisation as a sports team, but also as an employer. We also have to look at how we are proactive supporters of our sport, working with Formula 1 and the FIA.” ➡
