The event, in which VolkerRail’s major projects director, Stuart Birch, was a guest speaker, brought together industry leaders, to share their knowledge on how to start attracting a diverse workforce; how driving cultural change within organisations can help develop and retain new skills; the investment in creating a rail network accessible for all, and how to ensure business meets ED&I standards in procurement, to win new business.

As part of the event, guests were able to engage with speakers and other attendees, earning points for participating. The top three point earners were able to choose from one of three prizes, which included tree planting, a donation to a charity of their choice or an Amazon gift card.

Tina Cator, corporate communications business partner, and Graham Shaw, business development manager, attended the event and earned enough points to come second and third, with both choosing to have trees planted in VolkerRail’s name.

Tree planting helps to offset carbon emissions, and each of the 250 trees planted in VolkerRail’s name offsets an estimated 0.3 tonnes of carbon - helping the planet for generations to come.  

Commenting, Tina said: “The EDI event was very engaging, and the leaders’ debates provided great insight into what VolkerRail and the wider industry can do to help promote the sector to those looking to decide on a career path. The event also offered some great advice to help businesses engage with their existing workforce, to promote positive engagement and inclusion.

“Being able to earn points, whilst engaging throughout the event, really incentivised interaction during the day, and knowing that trees would be planted as a result made taking part doubly worthwhile.”

Director of publishing and events for RTM, Roy Rowlands, said “We’ve always worked hard to ensure the social and environmental impacts of our business are considered.”

“As a media owner, we have one of the biggest opportunities to drive positive change and influence across our vast audiences spanning multiple sectors - a responsibility we don’t take lightly - and we’re really pleased to be working with significant businesses like VolkerRail, who share the same sentiment.”

The trees will be planted in Haiti, by THG more:trees, a UK based company and global leader in ecommerce, that helps brands and consumers make a positive impact on the environment. The new trees will provide local farmers with new skills and wages to feed and house their families, helping reduce extreme poverty, and  will also help reverse the effects of deforestation for animals, wildlife and the planet.