Series 9 – Episode 9 – Update to NI’s 10-year sustainability and diversity strategy

At the beginning of last year, Tabitha Upshaw spoke to Electronic Specifier about NI’s 10-year sustainability and diversity strategy.

The ambitious corporate impact strategy aims to make good on its new company identity and its promise to 'Engineer Ambitiously'. In a drive to make the company, and its impact on the world, more diverse, equitable and inclusive, NI is committing to 15 goals including:

• By 2030 NI will aim for 50% of its global workforce and people managers to be women 
• NI will invest $3.4m globally over the next four years in STEM education initiatives that serve under-represented or economically disadvantaged students
• By 2030, NI’s goal is for 16% of its suppliers to be small or diverse businesses
• Achieving Zero Waste at NI-owned buildings and reduce waste at leased facilities

NI is also working on specific regional targets – for example, for 40% of US people managers to be BAME by 2030.

In this episode, Upshaw provides an update to the Corporate Impact Strategy, one year from its launch. The update is the first of the 2030 strategy and an honest look at what is left to do.

Upshaw updates us on:

• increasing the diversity of NI’s own workforce
• NI commitment to support aspiring engineers
• the girls engineering programme in Debrecen, the company’s base in Hungary, to encourage young women to enter the profession
• creating a greater sense of belonging within the industry

Upshaw goes on to speak about NI’s six-year commitment to FIRST, an inclusive robotics community that prepares young people for the future and what is left for the company to do in order for it to meet its goals.

To hear more about NI’s 10-year sustainability and diversity strategy and much more, you can listen to Electronic Specifier’s interview with Tabitha Upshaw on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.