Volvo Group is increasing awareness of diversity and inclusion in the legal sector
At Volvo Group, diversity and inclusion (D&I) is not just seen as an important subject for our own internal operations, but also when choosing and cooperating with external partners. Volvo – as represented by EVP Legal & Compliance Sofia Fr?ndberg – is signatory to a global D&I initiative, where in-house legal departments and external law firms team up to drive change for the legal sector as a whole.??
The initiative “General Counsels for Diversity & Inclusion”, to which Volvo is signatory since 2019, focuses on driving D&I across the legal profession, including both in-house counsels as well as law firms. Traditionally, the legal profession has been dominated by men, and the number of females at partner level and in management positions is still low in many law firms.?
“As a large buyer of legal services, we have a huge potential to drive change and promote D&I in the legal sector,” says Sofia Fr?ndberg. “We also believe that change is best done together and in cooperation with our partner law firms.”
In order to take this initiative forward from Volvo, Group Legal has established a cross-functional D&I working group, chaired by the Head of Legal Operations, Tove Bremell. The D&I working group are planning?several initiatives, focusing on improving internal operations as well as the process for purchasing legal services.?
领英推荐
Diversity is not limited to gender
“It is important to remember that diversity is not limited to gender, it also includes many other aspects such as ethnical background, age, sexual orientation, to name a few. We want to drive change and awareness in all areas. It all boils down to valuing diversity and having an inclusive mindset”, says Tove.
To mention some examples and ideas how to create awareness on D&I within the legal function; promoting existing Volvo networks, arranging workshops dedicated on inclusive leadership and take actions in relation to the cooperation with external partners and putting D&I on the agenda when sourcing for and assessing suppliers.
“We know that diverse team outperforms, and it is important for us that our external partners share our values and ambitions” says Sandeep Janardhan, Legal Counsel, Group Legal & Compliance, India, who is part of the D&I working group. “We work together with our law firms, but we also want to challenge them to perform better in this area”.?
Técnico mecanico
2 年Together as one