Scott Bader, a global chemistry business specialising in composite, adhesive and polymer materials, is one of the world’s first manufacturers to attain the prestigious ISO 30415 Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) standard.

The ISO 30415 standard provides organisations with a robust framework to ensure that their governance bodies, leaders, colleagues, and representatives are equipped with the policies, know-how and understanding to support a workforce that feels psychologically safe and equally empowered to reach their full potential.

“The whole process has been incredibly inspiring, making me proud to be part of a business committed to putting its people first,” says Julie Thorburn, Group HR Director. “For me, it’s so important to ensure that every one of our colleagues, wherever they are in the world, feels the benefits of Scott Bader’s ongoing commitment to Diversity and Inclusion and is equipped with the tools to lead by example. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the collective effort of our HR Team and the Diversity & Inclusion committee. We are grateful for their commitment to building a workplace that celebrates diversity and recognises the immense benefits it brings to Scott Bader.”

Scott Bader’s progress in Diversity and Inclusion is deeply rooted in the organisation’s legacy of ethical business practices. One of the first to adopt the employee ownership model in the 1950s, today, the company continues to be an industry frontrunner – tackling some of the most challenging issues of our time.

International certifying body, RINA commended Scott Bader, in particular, for its comprehensive initiatives to ensure equal career opportunities for all colleagues globally. The group’s ‘Women in Leadership’ programme is a particular success. The course has run four times since 2019, with 31% of female colleagues having now successfully completed the programme. From the first cohort, 70% have gone onto receive promotions with 32.5% of Scott Bader’s leadership roles now being held by women.

The auditor was particularly impressed with how D&I runs through all touch points of the colleague cycle from recruitment through to onboarding and development. All colleagues globally have been trained in Diversity and Equality. In addition, Scott Bader’s Governing Bodies have completed training on creating an inclusive culture and manager’s globally have completed ‘leading a multi-cultural team’ training. The spotlight is regularly kept on D&I through consistent and engaging internal communications.

Scott Bader’s ongoing commitment to putting colleagues front and centre also resulted in a -5.5% mean gender pay gap in the UK, in favour of women, for the first time in 2022 (benchmarked against a national average of 14.9%).

In the same year, the company won ‘Best Employee Voice Initiative – Small to Medium Organisation’ at the international Business Culture Awards. This came on the back of a successful review of The Constitution that shapes how Scott Bader is governed and inspires colleagues to leverage their impact and influence as owners, across the world.

As a global business with over 800 colleagues spanning 18 countries, Scott Bader recognises the importance of upholding international standards, maintaining certifications – not only for Diversity & Inclusion – but also for Quality Management (ISO 9001), Environmental Management (ISO 14001) and Energy Management (ISO 5001).