Creating a Culture Where Everyone Belongs at JLR

Insights From Claire Parker, Global Head of Diversity Equity & Inclusion at JLR

At the Engage Employee Summit, one session stood out as a powerful reminder that inclusion is no longer a “nice to have” but a core driver of organisational performance. On the Wellbeing, Diversity and Inclusion stage, attendees were taken inside a three year transformation journey at Jaguar Land Rover, one that moved inclusion from scattered initiatives to a fully embedded, business wide strategy.

Claire Parker, Global Head of Diversity Equity & Inclusion at JLR shared how her role at JLR began with a clear challenge: bring structure, focus, and ambition to an inclusion agenda that had activity but lacked cohesion. The solution was to define a strong “North Star” and reposition inclusion as something that touches every employee, every system, and every decision, framed simply as “inclusion for all”.

What made this approach particularly compelling was the shift from ownership sitting within HR to accountability being shared across the entire organisation. Inclusion was not treated as a programme running alongside the business. It became part of how the business operates. From leadership behaviours to policies and day to day ways of working, every layer was intentionally designed to reinforce belonging.

A major pillar of this transformation has been leadership. Claire outlined how JLR has invested heavily in upskilling leaders to understand concepts like equity and psychological safety, supported by coaching, mentoring, and a reimagined leadership programme. Anchoring this is the “Creators Code”, a behavioural framework centred on customer focus, unity, integrity, growth, and impact, which now shapes expectations across the organisation.

Importantly, the work has not stopped at leadership level. Inclusion has been made tangible and accessible for all employees, including those in manufacturing environments. Initiatives like “People Love Days” connect individuals to purpose, while improvements in wellbeing support and access to tools have helped drive both engagement and productivity on the ground.

Claire also highlighted how embedding inclusion into organisational design has led to meaningful, practical change. Family friendly policies have been aligned to ensure equity across maternity, adoption, and surrogacy, alongside enhanced neonatal and paternity leave. Even areas like workwear have been rethought, following employee consultation, to better support religious expression, gender identity, and comfort, helping employees feel truly seen and included.

Technology has played a key role in levelling the playing field. A new digital app has improved access to essential information such as payslips, vacancies, and internal networks, addressing long standing inequalities for frontline and manufacturing employees and strengthening overall engagement.

On a global scale, Claire described how JLR has ensured consistency in its DE&I learning across 27 countries, adapting content to local contexts while maintaining a shared foundation of principles and behaviours. This balance of global alignment and local relevance is critical for organisations operating at scale.

Another standout element was the role of employee network groups. With 14 groups representing over 10,000 employees, these communities have become a driving force for storytelling, advocacy, and reverse mentoring, giving leaders direct insight into lived experiences and enabling more informed decision making. As Claire emphasised, understanding the difference between equality and equity is key. It is not about treating everyone the same, but about ensuring fair access to opportunities.

The impact of this work is already clear. Over three years, JLR’s inclusion index has risen from 62% to 83%, alongside significant improvements in leadership diversity. But perhaps most importantly, the session reinforced that this is ongoing work. In a complex and evolving global landscape, sustained commitment is essential.

Claire closed by reflecting on the dual approach that has driven progress: strong top down commitment, including board level education and coaching, combined with bottom up influence from employees themselves. It is this combination that ensures inclusion is not only prioritised, but truly lived across the organisation.

To register your interest for the 2027 Engage Employee Summit click here.