WILLIAMS’ CORPORATE & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

Williams and Diversity
Williams is a meritocracy and does not discriminate on any basis. The only criteria that is important for success in our business of Formula One is the ability to be demonstrably the very best in a specific field, skill or practice. Williams therefore only distinguishes on the basis of capability and not on gender, ethnicity, religious belief, physical capacity or sexual orientation. Although a modestly-sized business, we are genuinely international in our field of operation and our demand for pioneering engineering and design means that our work force is drawn from around the globe.

At the heart of our business where we regard diversity as an asset is a strong identification with the United Kingdom and specifically England as both Williams’ home and inspiration for over three decades. All members of Williams’ staff remain proud that we represent the UK in a high profile and globally witnessed sporting endeavour.

Williams F1 and its Staff
Formula One is a human capital business. Without world class talent matched to a profound commitment to go beyond the definition of the normal understanding of commitment, success in Formula One would be an elusive goal.

It follows therefore that Williams’ staff are its most important asset. The company prizes itself in a positive level of engagement, support and reward for its workforce, reflected in the number of employees who have served 25 years or more with the organisation.

If you are interested in joining our organisation, check the vacancies area of this site.

Williams F1 and the Community
Williams is located in and is staffed by members of its local community and as a consequence is actively engaged in charitable and citizenship initiatives both at a corporate level as well as at an individual level. Williams is proud that many members of staff contribute their own private time, money and support for charitable causes and activities.

At a corporate level, Williams supports the Spinal Injuries Association as its nominated charitable beneficiary. For more information, please see www.spinal.co.uk

In addition, each month Williams auctions a notable element of Formula One memorabilia on this site for a nominated charity. Our charities rotate on a monthly basis and are chosen by a staff poll. By the nature of our business, we do receive many more requests for assistance than we could reasonably respond to, so the beneficiaries of our monthly auction must be eligible against one or more of the following three criteria:-

• 1. The beneficiary is a national or international incident requiring the mass mobilisation of charitable support
• 2. The cause is directly related to our core business, whether defined as motor racing or engineering
• 3. The cause or beneficiary must be geographically local to Williams, ie Wantage and surrounding area and certainly within Oxfordshire

To apply to be a beneficiary of one of our monthly memorabilia auctions or to bid on these unique items with full Williams’ guaranteed provenance, visit our auction pages

Williams F1 and Education
Williams both benefits from and is reliant upon a highly skilled workforce and acknowledges that the UK’s dominance of the high-tech motorsports sector is a two-way process. Accordingly, Williams invests time, know how and support right across the educational landscape from primary and pre-school engagement in science through to supporting postgraduate and doctorate research in the country’s leading academic institutions. Our staff write and submit academic papers and lecture professional bodies across a range of specialities.

In the vocational sector, the company supports apprenticeships and professional training.

The range of engagement with the educational sector is varied and multi-faceted, but some examples of how Williams does work in partnership with schools, colleges and universities includes:-

• Assistance with syllabus development, Oxford Brookes University
• Providing financial support for a bursary scheme benefiting students on the MSc in Motorsport Engineering and Management at Cranfield University
• The in-house management of an annual week long GCSE student placement scheme
• Assisting with provision of venues and keynote speakers for the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Faraday Lectures to inspire school children to pursue an engineering career
• The management of an in-house apprenticeship scheme and vocational training for existing employees through the Higher National Diploma qualifications

Williams F1 and the Environment
Williams’ business is built around the fundamental belief that the intelligent application of technology can and does deliver solutions to seemingly intractable problems. At the most basic level, being competitive in Formula One demands engineering efficiency, for instance in the minimisation of friction losses in automotive drivetrains – learning which can and does benefit the way in which the transport industry consumes less fossil fuels.

While the competitive nexus pushes Formula One teams to progress technological innovation with greener credentials, so our partners are developing biofuels, the sport’s governing body has led a pioneering carbon sequestration programme for Formula One and the next frontier is energy storage technology which might have a profound impact on cars that we see on our highways in the not-to-distant future.

In these various ways, Williams’ is making its own contribution to the environmental responsibility that we all acknowledge is critical. If you want to read more about Williams’ activities in this area, please refer to our full environmental statement.

Williams F1 strives to be a considerate business in all aspects of its activities, whether in relation to its employee welfare, its engagement with the local community or its impact on the global environment. Like almost all organisations, while we seek to improve and refine our best practices continually, it is of course possible that from time to time we overlook areas where we could improve – as an open and transparent organisation, we would welcome your comments and feedback – you can email us at: enquires@williamsf1.com or see further details on the contacts page.