- 13 - CEO Today Global Awards 2025 - UNITED KINGDOM - How does DPD’s emphasis on inclusivity and opportunity impact the overall morale and productivity of its workforce? We have an annual survey called the Big Buzz. Over the course of a month we encourage our people to tell us how they feel about working at DPD, where we’re doing well, but also, crucially, where we could improve. This is the primary way we understand the morale of our people. Our most recent survey, which took place towards the end of 2024, gave us some really reassuring results. We had a fantastic response rate, over 84%, but most important was the question asking our people if they agreed we highly value diversity at DPD. I’m delighted that 85% of people strongly agreed that we did. We’re very proud of this stat, but of course we want to keep pushing it even higher. Can you discuss how DPD’s initiatives, such as wellbeing programmes and employee benefits, support your vision for an inclusive and empowering workplace? Wellbeing initiatives form a key part of our People & Talent strategy. I truly believe that an employer has an obligation to its people to not just do the bare minimum, but go above and beyond in ensuring they’re happy and healthy. We offer a variety of benefits and perks for working at DPD, but one I think has especially made an impact is our partnership with Vitality. Our partnership with Vitality gives our people free access to their app, which helps track the user’s stress and gives them resources to improve their mental health. It’s been a really successful partnership which our people have really gotten on board with – and last year Vitality informed us that, for the twelve months previous, our people’s ‘elevated stress levels’ had dropped by 7%. We know that there are tangible results from this on our end, too, as the number of people needing sick days citing mental health reasons, something we always encourage people to be open about, has also gone down. What are your thoughts on the recent trend among large US companies, such as Meta, seemingly placing less emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)? Do you see this as a growing trend, and do you think similar shifts could occur in the UK? What impact might this have? It’s always important to recognise that a business should be representative of the society in which it lives. We’re proud of our DEI initiatives at DPD, and it’s not something we ever want to compromise on. I can’t comment on other companies, but I can say that diversity has been good for DPD as a business, and we are happy to share what we have learned with other businesses who want to understand more about what we’ve done. Even if such a shift does take place, however, DPD won’t change. Being a welcoming place to everyone, regardless of their background, is woven into our DNA – and that’s important to us.
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