Toward the close of the 23rd ITS World Congress in Melbourne, Australia, which was held on October 10-14, transportation industry gathered to celebrate an initiative that companies around the world are encouraging – embodying diversification in the workforce and supporting advances in the industry through a further commitment to women, culture and ethnicity.
In an age where the diversification of gender, race, religion and sexuality is far more readily celebrated in society than it once was, the ITS industry welcomed moves to see such diversity being recognized in the workforce. The second annual Award for Best Action for supporting Diversity in the ITS Workforce was this year awarded to toll road developer and operator Transurban, in recognition of the company’s commitment to diversification, from policy development through to implementation in the workplace.
The Diversity Award was introduced at the 22nd World Congress in Bordeaux, France, in 2015, recognizing the diverse nature of the industry and the people who work in it. This award is a representation of contributions made by men and women across a wide age range, and has global support from ITS associations in the UK, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, Singapore, Sweden and USA.
Based in Melbourne, and with over 1,500 employees worldwide, Transurban operates 13 tolled motorways and crossings in Australia, as well as the I-495 and I-95 Express Lanes in the USA.
Transurban’s general manager for group technology, and diversity advocate on the executive committee, Lisa Tobin, said, “We are delighted to accept today’s Diversity award. Not only does it support our desire to remain an employer of choice, but goes further to recognizing the company’s continuous efforts to cultivate a workforce based on capability and merit, not on gender, denomination or cultural background.
“We set out to create diversity in our workplace by establishing policies around things such as annual gender pay reviews, and fair and equitable parental leave policies, all of which have turned from being paper based ideas into real actions in the workplace. It’s because of the passion and determination from those within the business that we’ve been able to implement these policies, and proudly accept the Best Action for supporting Diversity in the ITS Workforce award today.”
Susan Harris, CEO of ITS Australia (above right), said, “As host nation of this year’s World Congress, I have been delighted to work in collaboration with ITS UK to support this exciting award, and I’m thrilled to award such a deserving company with this honor. Not only is diversity in the workplace an important issue, but ITS has an extremely diverse customer base, so embracing this equality is hugely important.
“We are proud the World Congress has had a focus on diversity and the issues surrounding gender, race, disability, social background, education and ethnicity. Having judged the first ever Diversity Award in Bordeaux last year, it’s a privilege to be here a year later, awarding a great Australian company with this award. It is a true testament to the principles of open mindedness, inclusion and fairness many of our leading companies employ in 2016.”
