Johnson Matthey recognises that diversity and inclusion (D&I) are fundamental to who we are and our success. As part of our new sustainability goals and targets announced earlier in 2021, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged company, which includes having 40% female representation across all management levels in the business by 2030 (1).

Supporting these goals are a D&I ambition and roadmap, and a culture underpinned by two fundamental beliefs: that all difference matters and that all people are valued. It is important that everyone is able to thrive and bring their full self to work.

Recognising that we still have a long way to go, we have made progress to be proud of. Since 2018, notable achievements include an increase in the proportion of women in senior management roles from 25% to 34% and our graduate intake is now 57% female. We have several well-established employee resource groups with senior executive sponsorship and a reverse mentoring programme involving senior leaders and ethnic minority employees led by our Black Employee Network. In 2019 we joined the Valuable 500, a group of large private sector corporations committed to disability inclusion.

As well as a culture of inclusion for employees, a key part of our D&I strategy is how to positively impact the diverse communities we operate in. We continue to champion science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) outreach, particularly for girls and those in minority ethnic groups, and through our sustainability goals, will invest in communities local to Johnson Matthey sites by encouraging employee volunteering activities. We know we can do more and will continue to build our engagement in the community.

There is no doubt that an inclusive culture, welcoming of everyone regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, culture, neurodiversity or socioeconomic status, brings tremendous opportunities for innovation. The swathe of different perspectives and thoughts leads to improvements in problem solving, an increase in innovation and better performance.

McKinsey & Company’s 2020 report ‘Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters’ (2), found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile—up from 21% in 2017 and 15% in 2014. In the case of ethnic and cultural diversity, in 2019, top-quartile companies outperformed those in the fourth quartile by 36% in profitability, slightly up from 33% in 2017 and 35% in 2014.

Quite often, it is said that D&I is not about lowering the bar but widening the gate. Diversity in all its forms is out there, and only by intentionally looking for it and making opportunities accessible to a wider pool of people, will we find it and all benefit. This issue of Johnson Matthey Technology Review demonstrates D&I in action.

Diversity in Action

This issue of Johnson Matthey Technology Review includes research and review articles written by authors with a range of diverse backgrounds. The subject matter ranges from catalyst preparation to sustainable energy and from bio-based materials to smart textiles development.

All the topics are drawn together by being relevant in some way to sustainable development, whether it is via the more efficient use of natural resources, working towards the transition to a zero carbon economy or by creating a better understanding of materials and processes that will enable future research in these areas.

The contributors to this issue are to be celebrated for their diverse approaches to the common goal of science for a world that’s cleaner and healthier, today and for future generations.