First Bus has named Gareth Hind as Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. He joins after a 20-year career in the retail sector and most recently with supermarket chain Asda, where over the past five years he has led on various people agendas.
The group says Mr Hind’s appointment comes at a time when it is looking to “execute an ambitious plan to improve sustainability and its impact on the climate crisis” while also having its people “at the heart of that journey.”
First Bus notes that the transport sector is seeing increasing evidence of customers and employees having begun to “vote with their feet around organisations’ environmental, social and governance activity as well as their equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) credentials.”
Speaking on his decision to join the bus operator, Mr Hind says: “I am passionate about making a difference and creating a business where everyone is welcome, can succeed and be their true selves. I am keen to use both my operations experience and commercial acumen to do this in a way that promotes sustainable business practice, and make it stick.
“In this new role, I can already see the parallels between retail and bus, but also recognise the differences that make the bus industry unique. I am a big believer in the role of allyship in ED&I and am firmly convinced that the success of any ED&I strategy is incumbent on the allies within it. Without allies, there is no strategy.”
Adds First Bus Chief People Officer Kevin Green: “I am delighted that Gareth Hind has joined us to help drive forwards our ED&I agenda as we all focus together on making First Bus a welcoming place for colleagues and customers alike.
“We are in the process of a big organisational transformation, moving from being an asset-based business to one that is more customer- and service-orientated that put people at the heart of everything we do.
“Our culture as a business is changing for the better against the backdrop of all our decarbonisation efforts, and we are planning to use this to engage our people so they come on that journey with us.”
