When you work in a global, listed organisation serving blue-chip customers, ESG is not something you can treat as optional. It is a requirement. It’s expected by regulators, by investors, and by the markets in which we operate.

But ESG is not just about reporting. We need to be constantly looking forward – defining targets and tracking progress as well as publishing results. We also need to approach ESG as an integral part of business strategy, building a long-term direction that shapes how the organisation operates.

At AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS, our approach has been to treat ESG as a transformation, not a compliance exercise. That means integrating it into how we think about the business, how we manage people, and how we make decisions.

While environmental priorities are clearly important, my role as CHRO has been focused on the social and governance dimensions.

Building diversity into our hiring strategy

One of the simplest lessons I have learned is that diversity is not something you can fix later. It has to be embedded in your talent pipeline.

We operate across multiple countries, and our workforce reflects that. In some teams, you will find people from across Europe, USA, Asia and Africa working together. For us, the primary criterion has always been skills. We are open to talent from anywhere, and we actively look beyond geographic or cultural boundaries to bring the right skills and ambition into our business.

ESG is a journey.”

Like many organisations with a strong technical and manufacturing heritage, we have not yet reached the level of gender balance we would like. But we are making headway. For example, at the Andorra site of Tag Systems, a member of AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS, we have a mostly female leadership team and our COO is female too. To keep up the momentum for gender balance, we are actively encouraging more female candidates, ensuring visibility of opportunities, and being deliberate in how we build our leadership pipeline through our recruitment, selection and onboarding practices. We’re also taking a transparent approach to payment parity.

We’re focused on creating an environment where people feel included once they join us too. For us, that has meant embedding our values more deeply into the organisation. We are currently working to integrate those values into our performance management processes, so that inclusion is not just a statement, but something that is reinforced through how people are evaluated and developed.

Ethical technology and psychological safety

As an applied technology company, we are very aware that the way we use technology has human implications. AI is a powerful tool, but it can also create uncertainty for employees. People naturally ask: what does this mean for my role? Will technology replace me?

If you do not address those concerns directly, you risk damaging trust. That’s why our approach has been to make sure our team understands that we are using AI to improve processes, not to replace people. Proactive messaging and clarity are important because people need to feel that they are part of the transformation. We want to bring them with us on that journey, not risk them feeling left behind, and we can do that by helping people understand both the potential and the pitfalls.

What that looks like in practice is training programmes focused on responsible AI use, data privacy and governance awareness. In this way, we’re not just equipping our people for technical transformation, we’re also ensuring ethical culture is embedded in this brave new world.

Upskilling for the future

If there is one area where ESG, business performance and employee expectations all come together, it is skills.

If organisations do not invest in upskilling, they are not only putting their business at risk, but are also failing their people. At AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS we have taken a structured approach to upskilling, introducing an online learning platform that offers both mandatory and optional training. Employees can follow defined learning paths, but they also have the flexibility to choose areas that are relevant to their own development and interests. This includes technical training, soft skills, and emerging topics such as AI and data-related capabilities.

We also encourage employees to participate in external conferences and industry events, so they can stay connected to broader market developments.

Upskilling is about more than productivity. When people feel that they are developing and gaining relevant skills with an organisation that is investing in their future, they become much more engaged. So, our investment in a training platform not only delivers the skills we need, but also the sustainable workforce that will help us drive growth and maximise the value of our human capital.

Governance only works if people understand and trust it

As a listed company, AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS has to operate within a strong governance framework, but governance is not just about compliance; it’s also about how fairly and consistently we manage our people.

One of our key priorities has been to strengthen this area through a more aligned and transparent performance management model, and we are currently developing a group-wide framework that will allow us to assess employees using consistent criteria across all regions.

the value drivers are not policies, frameworks or reports, but people.”

But designing a good model is only part of the challenge – getting the implementation right will be critical. That is why we are placing a strong emphasis on how the model is introduced through training and communication, with local HR and leadership teams in each market playing a key role in ensuring that the model is applied correctly and consistently.

We are also moving towards a fully digital system. This allows for greater transparency, better reporting and more effective oversight, ensuring that performance data is visible, measurable and actionable.

This much I know

ESG is a journey. We are still developing our long-term targets and refining our approach with systems in place to measure progress and a clear direction of travel. Our ESG journey at AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS is not being driven by a single function, but by a governance structure that brings together leadership at the highest level, including the CEO, CFO and myself. This ensures that our ESG priorities are aligned with our overall business strategy.

If I had to summarise what I have learned from our ESG transformation so far, it would be that the value drivers are not policies, frameworks or reports, but people.

Our ESG transformation is bringing together a framework for how we hire and develop people in ways that leverage value from diversity, build trust within our organisation and create a culture that supports both business performance and governance.

Ultimately, ESG is not a bolt on; it has to be built into an organisation as a culture and a strategy.

Companies often overlook their internal talent

Many companies tend to focus on hiring externally because it’s what they’ve always done, or they think it will bring fresh ideas and innovation. This can mean missing out on talented individuals and valuable ideas from people who already understand the business and culture.

Our EY Mobility Reimagined survey found that, in 2025, only 52% of employers say it’s easy to find the required global talent to meet business needs. As employers face skills shortages and a competitive labour market, it’s a great time now more than ever before to look inwards for candidates and to offer reskilling opportunities to those who are already valued.

At EY, we’ve introduced AI-powered tools like My Career Hub to help uncover internal talent and make it easier for people to move into new roles. Users create a skills profile, market their qualifications and experiences, and identify gaps where they want to build competencies. For EY, the data enables us to manage and develop our workforce to deploy skills where we need them and to meet current and future market demands.

Organisations can identify the full potential of current employees, even if managers and employees may have fixed views about their role

It starts with changing how we think. At EY, we make efforts to encourage open career conversations anytime – not just during formal reviews. This helps us understand what people want out of their careers and how we can give it to them. We also help managers look beyond job titles to see transferable skills. Programs like NextGen Leadership and our Recruiter Academy support this, and we help our people to match people’s skills with new opportunities. 

only 52% of employers say it’s easy to find the required global talent to meet business needs

Instead of static roles, organisations can try offering new challenges or encouraging new experiences like rotations and secondments across teams, functions and even geographies to bring out the full potential of employees. An EY example is Mobility4U, our global mobility program where participants can work across cultures and borders. Eighty-four percent of assignees report a positive impact on their careers over the long-term, and those who have taken an assignment have a 24% higher promotion rate.

Learning and development can support internal recruitment

Traditional L&D often focuses on climbing the ladder in one area. At EY, we support sideways moves and cross-team growth. Our learning programs are tied to real roles and career paths, helping people build in-demand skills that lead to new opportunities. We also offer mentoring and stretch assignments to help people grow in different directions. 

The company’s sense of pride in their work is unquestionable, however, the business is also well aware of the challenges that exist in creating, managing and developing this workforce. 

Giving employees control and power

According to Moens one issue facing the sector is that workers do not have a good perspective on, or transparency around their career options. To some extent workers are simply putting their heads down and doing the job, and while SBM’s record for employee satisfaction is higher than the industry average, the business believed it could do better, not least in continuing to address the gender imbalance that pervades the industry.

In order to do this, the company decided to move away from the existing more paternalistic style towards something that offered the chance for an ‘adult to adult’ relationship between manager and employee, and across the company.

“We wanted our employees to be in the driving seat of their own careers,” explains Moens, “and to do do that we needed to have a dialogue about the competency and ability of each employee. Through that we could also define and measure the contribution of the employee to the company goals.”

Building a competency structure that works

The answer was to create a competency structure which covered every role within the business. Unsurprisingly, creating the framework alone took more than a year of work, redefining the architecture of how each role related to another, and then working with managers on the functional and behavioural competencies relating to each position.

Having completed that and made it accessible through the HR IT system the company is now engaging in the first self-assessments by employees. During these assessments the employee initially decides how they compare to each competency – are they ‘junior’ or ‘mastering’ the competency – and these self-assessments are then validated by their immediate managers. 

The competency structure has also enabled the business to create career paths within each job family.  There are now graphic representations – “Metro maps” – depicting career paths within the company giving employees a clear visualisation of where they currently are and where they can go.

A positive mind shift for employees

“The shift has moved our employees from asking ‘what do I need to do’ to being able to assess what they are capable of doing and how they can build on that,” says Moens. 

“With that information they can then make their best contribution to the overall business goal. We hope that this will support our position where no-one in the company just comes to work to get a pay check.

Over the last year, a number of major tech companies have scaled back their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes. Our sector is already wrestling with a chronic skills shortage: by 2030, the industry could see a shortfall of 4.3 million workers, resulting in a substantial $449.7 billion in unrealised output. If data centre operators follow this trend of scaling back DEI commitments, we will deepen that shortage and slow the innovation the industry needs to manage the ever-evolving technology landscape and resultant customer demand. I have seen the progress DEI delivers; stepping away now would be a costly mistake.

DEI directly impacts business performance in tech infrastructure

The link between diversity and performance is especially clear in the technology sector. In data centres, where innovation and problem-solving drive success, having a diverse team allows for broader thinking and more adaptable responses to complex challenges. A 2023 McKinsey study showed that companies with a diverse workforce of women and ethnic minorities well represented in leadership, saw financial performance that was 39 per cent higher than companies lacking such diversity. It also showed that those in the top quartile for gender diversity were 21% more likely to experience above average profitability than their peers.

I’ve seen the importance of diversity first-hand. At Telehouse, when we have diverse teams working together, they challenge each other’s thinking, push boundaries and find solutions more quickly. The work we do here is complex, and the more diverse the perspectives, the better our ability to adapt and stay competitive.

Yet, as a sector, we’re still falling short. In the UK, women hold just 24% of tech roles, and ethnic minorities remain notably underrepresented. We simply cannot afford to ignore this gap, especially in an industry like ours.

The risks of scaling back programmes in the current climate

There’s a real risk that if we scale back our DEI initiatives, we’ll find ourselves with even fewer candidates to choose from. I also worry about the message it sends. Scaling back DEI now sends a signal that inclusion is negotiable – when it shouldn’t be.

When I first started in this industry 13 years ago, there were very few women in leadership or technical roles. Since then, we have made significant progress. Women are now managing directors, engineers, and technical leads, and they are driving change. But if we take a step backwards now, we risk undoing the gains we’ve made.

What a more inclusive data centre workforce could look like in practice

A workplace is a microcosm of the outside world: it reflects the same tensions, connections and challenges as those that exist in our lives beyond it. What is special about this microcosm is that it is one we can control. The issues we face in the outside world can be eliminated from our workplace. There are opportunities we can carve out with adequate resources including all stakeholders, at all levels within an organisation, everyone can contribute to a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. So what can that look like?

A: Employee engagement is really important for boosting productivity, improving retention, and keeping customers happy. Engaged employees are 2.5 times more likely to exceed performance objectives. They are more productive, have fewer absences, provide better customer service, remain with the business longer, and bring more creativity to the table.

This is especially important for us as a brand to stand out in the competitive retail and hospitality sectors, all while delivering top-notch experiences to over 50 million visitors each year. By focusing on employee engagement, we set ourselves apart in the market, improve service, and boost customer satisfaction, driving overall business success.

Our commitment to engagement hasn’t gone unnoticed as we’ve earned Platinum accreditation with Investors in People and a 3-Star Accreditation from Best Companies, showing our dedication to creating a positive work environment has made a difference. 

Q. How do you identify the areas where employees require support or would most benefit from initiatives?

A: At Roadchef, we use a variety of methods to understand where employees might need extra support. We actively listen to employee feedback and encourage suggestions to make improvements. This feedback helps shape initiatives that address specific needs. We also take part in the Best Companies to Work For programme, including the b-Heard survey, which provides valuable insights into engagement and areas we can improve.

To support financial wellbeing, we’ve got an interactive questionnaire in the PayCaptain app, giving personalised financial scores and advice. We keep an eye on turnover, particularly within the first 90 days, to spot any potential concerns early. Regular communication channels help ensure employee voices are always heard, and we hold annual Toolbox Talks to discuss initiatives and gather feedback.

Q. What initiatives have you introduced at Roadchef that are particularly effective, especially given your sector and workforce?

A: To support our employees, we’ve put in place a variety of initiatives focused on wellbeing, recognition, and engagement. Some key programmes include financial wellbeing support, like allowing our employees to access earned wages before payday, subsidised meals, community pantries, and interest-free hardship loans. We also run weekly activities to build a sense of community and boost both mental and physical health. Our commitment to sustainability shows through initiatives like the OnHand app, which encourages our teams to volunteer and reduce their carbon footprint. These efforts have made a real difference in our strong retention rates.

At Roadchef, one of our main priorities is making sure both our visitors and employees are treated with the utmost care and respect.

It’s obvious really – that the key to achieving our ESG goals lies firstly in looking after our people. You can teach the skillsets for each position, but you can’t fake the buy-in to a company’s culture. Without that buy-in, any ESG actions are just superficial box-ticking rather than positive action towards sustainable operations.

ESG commitments have increasingly become key differentiators in tenders for large-scale projects – whether it’s your Ecovadis rating (Gold, in our case), a science-based commitment to carbon emissions reductions, recycling and circular economy methods, or ethical practices and strong governance to eradicate Modern Slavery from a supply chain. Customers want to see this in action – in annual reporting, in terms of how it benefits their projects, and also in person should they visit your sites.

Eland Cables operates sites 24 hours a day, across three shifts. Our main site just outside Doncaster competes with the likes of Amazon to fill open warehouse positions: we’re proudly a registered Living Wage employer (one part of the ‘S’ in our ESG strategy) which helps attract people initially, but what’s different is our ability to retain that talent. Our staff retention rate sits at just under 90% year-on-year, with more than 270 employees. It’s not as simple to say that better pay leads to better engagement with our ESG journey… it helps, but there is so much more.

ESG as a recruitment ‘carrot’ in Talent Acquisition

 You need to find the right people before you can retain them. Talent acquisition can be challenging for industries not seen as sexy and exciting (and no one wakes up thinking ‘I want to work in cables’!). Increasingly, job seekers want to see their (prospective) employer as a positive force – in their local community and in making steps towards being more sustainable. Having a clear ESG strategy has undoubtedly helped us engage people at recruitment stage, showing them that our business can be the right fit for them.

Then it’s about keeping them. The emphasis when someone joins a new company is usually on training and competency; if there’s constant staff churn, all you’re doing is delivering the onboarding training and not building on that understanding. There’s no time to teach them new skills to develop and enhance their roles.

Tapping into talent 

Teams benefit from experience – from people who can lead by example, and who have bought into the culture of the business. Everyone goes through the repeated cycles of steep learning curves followed by temporary plateaus as learnings are embedded, but having confidence in the way we work, and exposure to the bigger picture of why we do it, also opens doors to other departments. We promote from within rather than hiring externally, wherever possible – but many companies will say that. Delivering the training to upskill is straightforward when it’s colleagues who already share our commitment to our customers, to quality & compliance, and know how we work. Yes, sometimes you still have to recruit talent from outside into specialist roles where you need a new set of skills, but it’s the exception not the norm.

There are numerous examples of current staff who have grown with the business: the office cleaner who as a busy mum fits work around parenting commitments, but who when they were more self-sufficient joined in a junior sales role and now manages a small team – she’s been with us for over 20 years now. The warehouse operative who worked his way up to shift manager, before retraining (through our in-house driving training school) to be an HGV driver delivering cables to our customers across Europe. There’s also extended families who work with us – husbands and wives on split shifts to balance childcare; adult children and their parents working together. We’ve become well-known in our local communities as being a ‘good’ employer who cares about our colleagues – it means our recruitment costs are significantly reduced when we do need to grow as many new employees come from staff referrals. The ‘Social’ in ESG brings tangible returns to the business.

So what sparks internal ESG engagement?

Internal communications channels, screens in communal spaces, and training in areas outside but complimentary to a person’s role – in our case, about a cable’s materials and applications, or explaining embodied carbon emissions – can give a broader understanding. Seeing solar panels installed, electric vans in the yard, HGV drivers talking about the use of HVO biofuels, and cable recycling equipment in use onsite will pique interest – if only in what is involved in other people’s daily roles to start with. It’s not a one-off but a series of works; people may not immediately see them as ESG actions, but it’s easy to help them join the dots. Yes, there’s some internal promotion and drum-banging, but we’re rightly proud of what’s happening so want to share that information.

Delivering success in ESG – your team are your champions

So how do you go from joining the dots to turning it into a successful ESG communications strategy that resonates with your customers?

We took on our first apprentice in 2011 and since then 70 have come through our business, recruited in business administration, finance, multi-utility, warehousing and other key roles. Out on site and in our offices, we have people, including these apprentices, who are completely new to the sector, just starting their careers, working alongside those that have been immersed in the construction sector for decades.  

Whilst different generations of workers can have vastly different values and work styles – there can be a 50-year age gap between our teams working together on site – as a business this can be hugely beneficial. Whilst of course there can be challenges when people have very different ways of working, in my experience, the benefits far outweigh any downsides.

Reverse mentoring 

Whilst we don’t have a structured reverse mentoring programme in place, as a business we work hard to encourage the transferring of skills from those new to our business, to those who have been with us for years, and vice versa. This informal mentoring has been a powerful tool for fostering innovation and enhancing knowledge transfer. 

Set objectives 

Before embarking on a reverse mentor programme, be clear about what you want to achieve. It may be that you want to introduce a formal programme, linking people up over the long term and introducing incentives such as bonuses or reward certificates – or you could informally encourage opportunities for team members to interact and learn from each other. In my experience, this route can be more effective as it allows relationships to develop naturally. It could be as simple as encouraging team members to interact at lunch time, by providing regular team lunches in a communal room, or encouraging interaction during coffee breaks. 

As many of our team are out on site most of the day informal sessions can take place during break times, and there are plenty of opportunities for younger team members to shadow experienced colleagues. Digital tools are also used to provide quick digital training sessions, with younger mentors supporting their less digitally-savvy colleagues.

For most, it goes without saying that companies with employees from varied backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives generate more innovative ideas. A diverse team is better positioned to recognise challenges and identify creative solutions, as it naturally approaches problems from different points of view. Diversity alone does not guarantee success, it should always go hand-in-hand with inclusion, as this is the part that enables the integration of those different perspectives.

The role of belonging and inclusivity in company culture

Company culture is a powerful dynamic and inclusivity is vital to ours at AstraZeneca. An inclusive culture not only celebrates differences but actively seeks out diverse perspectives, encouraging employees to show up as their authentic selves and speak their minds. It’s about building an environment where every team member feels they belong and can contribute in a meaningful way. 

At AstraZeneca, our values guide how we work together, define who we are as a business and as a team, and underpin everything we do. Having a set of shared values not only creates an inclusive culture where every person can thrive but also acts as a foundation for creating a workplace where differences are celebrated and employees feel a strong sense of belonging.

From retail to HR: A passion for people

My journey to becoming the Head of People at Dreams was not a traditional one. From earning a degree in Law and Criminology to working in retail during university, my career naturally evolved towards Human Resources – a field where I discovered my passion for driving positive change in the workplace. Considering how much time we all spend at work, creating an inspiring and engaging environment is essential. When colleagues feel empowered to bring their best selves to work, it not only benefits them but also enhances the overall customer experience – something that is particularly impactful in customer-facing roles like many of our colleagues at Dreams hold. This connection between colleague wellbeing and customer satisfaction lies at the heart of what we do.

So, what does this mean in practice? Since I joined Dreams nearly two years ago, one of my main objectives has been to develop and implement its People-First Strategy. Our People-First Strategy is really simple. It has four pillars Develop, Include, Attract, and Recognise which support Dreams’ ambition to be a ‘great place to work’ and enables colleagues to bring their best selves to work. These pillars are designed to ensure our workplace is not just functional but exceptional — a place where colleagues can grow, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to the company’s mission. All our initiatives and plans ensure that our workforce plays an important role in the success of the business. We have come a great distance, but our future success can only be driven forward by one of our most important assets, our colleagues, fondly referred to as our team of “Dreamers”.

This approach aligns with our ambition to be “the employer everyone dreams of,” emphasising both internal talent development and the onboarding of new talent. At Dreams, we believe empowering teams with trust and autonomy fosters a high-performing, engaging environment. Recognising and nurturing talent, coupled with mentorship, not only builds strong teams but also drives innovation and business growth.

Linking People-First to business expertise

The People-First Strategy links to Dreams’ broader focus on quality and expertise. For instance, significant effort has been put towards enhancing the retail team’s capabilities and skillset, particularly through training initiatives tailored to the customer journey. This collaboration between the Learning & Development team and the Retail team demonstrates how investing in people directly impacts the customer experience, setting Dreams apart in a competitive market.

Achievements, challenges, and future goals

Reflecting on nearly two years in the role, several moments stand out for me. From innovative initiatives that help to break down stigmas – such as male leaders wearing period simulators to spark discussions about women’s health – to advancements in Learning & Development and colleague experience, our focus has consistently been on fostering well-being and inclusivity at every level.

One of the biggest achievements has been the introduction of People Business Partners.