Equality is a corporate responsibility at Brose

Making women visible and promoting equality are not only topics of today's International Women's Day, but also those of Woman@Brose. Our women's network promotes the exchange of knowledge and experience through activities such as workshops and conferences. The goal is for women to grow professionally and personally in our family-owned company and to contribute their valuable know-how to Brose. Jessica Motzer has made the topic of gender equality an even greater focus at Brose. She studied automotive engineering and psychology and joined Brose in 2017 as a strategic buyer. Motzer now works in the Supplier Innovation and Sustainability team and plays a leading role in Woman@Brose.

Ms. Motzer, what drives you to get involved with Woman@Brose in addition to your day-to-day work?

Gender equality as an aspect of respect for human rights is anchored in our corporate and sustainability strategy and our Code of Conduct. At the same time, it is also a legal requirement under the Supply Chain Duty of Care Act. Our customers demand that we fulfill our responsibility within the supply chain and also check this. And we also demand strict compliance with legal requirements from our suppliers. However, the issue of equality is not just something that concerns me as part of my professional work but is also close to my heart personally.

In what way?

I want employees to treat each other as equals and skills should not be questioned on the basis of gender or other personality traits. Because then professional discussions can be conducted much more quickly and purposefully, and efficiency can be increased. Diversity also increases diversity within the company, which in turn leads to diverse perspectives and correspondingly diverse approaches to solutions. Innovation needs diversity. I am convinced that Brose benefits from this as a company.

Diversity is a good keyword. That was also the topic of today's "Woman@Brose Conference", at which our CEO and Chief Commercial Officer Philipp Schramm and Bernhard Blauth, Executive Vice President Human Resources and Organization, spoke. How strongly does the Management Board support Woman@Brose?

I am very pleased that two of our Managing Directors took part in the third Woman@Brose Conference. We were also able to build on the support of the management last year. We were given the opportunity to present our women's network at the works meetings at the Franconian sites in Coburg, Bamberg/Hallstadt and Würzburg, which gave us a lot more visibility. What's more, Woman@Brose is not new to our family business. When I became aware of the network in 2022, there were just under 20 participants. Today, Woman@Brose has more than 300 members in Germany.

Only in Germany and only women?

There are Woman@Brose in Germany and in America, so there are two independent networks that have developed in parallel. The reason for this is that many topics such as parental leave or retirement provisions are culturally specific or have different legal frameworks. However, we are in close contact with our colleagues from North America and use potential synergies. Last year, we also started to include our European locations in the network. Because there are definitely topics that are globally relevant. One of them is part-time management. How can I pursue a career even if I reduce my weekly working hours, for example to help with childcare or caring for relatives? This question is no longer just asked by women, but also by their male colleagues. Men are expressly welcome at Woman@Brose and we have already been able to inspire some of them to join our network. We welcome every new member – whether male or female.