To celebrate the 9th German Diversity Day, Mabanaft CEO Jonathan Perkins signed the “Charta der Vielfalt” (“Diversity Charter”) today. “Signing the charter is something I really care about. And that is because I firmly believe that we, as a company, benefit from diversity of our colleagues – personally and professionally,” Perkins explains.
By becoming a signatory like almost 4,000 other companies in Germany, Mabanaft is signalling its opposition to discriminating against and excluding people on the basis of gender, gender identity, nationality, ethnic background, religion, worldview, disability, age or sexual orientation.
Thomas Clever, Head of Human Resources, is also convinced that diversity adds value to the workplace: “Diversity has a positive influence on the atmosphere at work. Including different perspectives, personalities and cultural experiences fosters mutual understanding and strengthens collaboration. Diverse teams are more creative and innovative. This has been proven to lead to better results.”
One focus of Mabanaft’s diversity management will be on the dimensions of gender and social background. For example, using targeted measures, Mabanaft aims to strengthen the role of women in the company and improve the conditions under which female colleagues can optimally develop their professional talents. This touches upon a wide range of issues, including recruitment, achieving work-life balance, trainings and mentoring programmes.
However, Mabanaft will not be fostering diversity exclusively within the company. “For us, diversity is a task that concerns society as a whole. People often face disadvantages accessing educational opportunities as a result of their social background. We want to change this and help create equal opportunities for people in the labour market,” says Clever. To this end, the Hamburg-based company is providing financial support to the “Joblinge” initiative and the “Hamburg Stipendium”. Both programmes are committed to improving educational opportunities for young people who start their training, job or studies under challenging conditions.
About the Charta der Vielfalt
The Charta der Vielfalt (Diversity Charter) was founded in 2006 as an employer initiative to promote recognition, appreciation and respect in the world of work. The nonprofit association Charta der Vielfalt e.V. was founded as the charter’s sponsor in 2010 and has been under the patronage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel since 2011. The association pursues the goal of advancing inclusion of diversity in the workplace within Germany. Almost 4,000 companies and institutions with more than 13 million employees have already signed the charter.
www.charta-der-vielfalt.de
About Mabanaft
Mabanaft GmbH & Co. KG is a leading independent and integrated energy company, providing its customers with innovative energy solutions for their transportation, heating and industrial needs. In addition, the company is active in trading petroleum products, natural gas liquids, chemicals and biofuels.
www.mabanaft.com
