Volkswagen pledges to promote women faster
Volkswagen Group on Wednesday pledged to give women better opportunities to rise to its top ranks and said it would embrace English as its official language in a bid to attract top leaders outside of its home in Germany.
With only one woman and nearly all Germans on its 9-member executive leadership board, the world's second-largest automaker said it "will be aiming for managers with a broader experience profile."
It marks a significant step for a company widely known for having an insular culture with power concentrated at its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany.
The auto industry, historically dominated by men, has long lagged on diversity issues. General Motors is the only major automaker in the world to have had a woman as CEO, and the company's board is made up of six men, six women.
But men continue to dominate most auto companies. At Japanese automaker Toyota, for example, 48 of 49 top leaders listed on the company's website are men.
Since its global emissions scandal exploded in September 2015, Volkswagen has acknowledged a need to overhaul its culture and delegate more authority to its regional operations throughout the world instead of maintaining a top-down management style.
In the new paradigm, "the objective is to foster internationality, diversity and a change of perspective," VW said in a statement.
That includes improved opportunities for women, the company said.
"Female managers are to gain the experience and capabilities they need for appointment to top management positions faster," the company said.
In another sign of the company's attempts to remake its image and reflect its role as 2015's second largest automaker in the world behind Toyota, Volkswagen said it would switch from German to English as its official language.
"As a globally positioned group, we need the best people in the world," VW said.
VW also said it would begin considering international assignments and variety of experience as factors in future appointments.
Follow Paste BN reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.