Objective

At CPI, we are passionate about increasing the diversity of our teams and ensuring that our colleagues feel valued, included and can be their authentic self.

It is our aim to transform the organisation into one where everyone is treated fairly and equally, whilst attracting and retaining talent through an inclusive, diverse and trusted environment.

Introduction from Wendy McFarlane, Chair of the Inclusion Network

“At CPI, we are wholeheartedly dedicated to nurturing a workplace where diversity and inclusion are at the core of our values. Inspired by leading practices across UK businesses, we strive to create an environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic self to work.

“Our commitment is to build a culture that not only embraces diversity but also actively promotes equality and inclusion, ensuring that all voices are heard and celebrated.”

Mission statement

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) at CPI is not merely about assembling a diverse group of individuals; it is about recognising the value and importance of these differences and creating an environment where everyone feels welcome.

We view D&I as an essential component of driving success, engagement, and wellbeing, rather than a problem to be solved. This strategy document is designed to provide transparency about the deliberate actions we are taking to increase the representation of different groups within our business and ensure everyone feels included. By embracing diverse perspectives, we aim to make better decisions, become a better business, value our people and be brilliant for our customers.

Senior Leadership Commitment

Our Senior Leaders play a critical role in fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the commitment from each member of both the Senior Leadership Team and the Regional Leadership Team is to hold themselves and their teams accountable for achieving diversity and inclusion objectives. To reinforce this, each leader commits to a measurable improvement in an under-represented group as part of their annual personal performance objectives.

Tony
O’Sullivan

CEO

Wendy McFarlane

Finance Director

Craig Buttenshaw

Head of Operations

Marc Case

Commercial Manager

Stuart Russell

Commercial Manager

Ed Pennie

Head of IT

Steven Giles

Head of HR

Stewart McGregor

Technical Manager

Measurement of performance

By measuring progress as well as celebrating successes, we will continuously improve our D&I initiatives to ensure the ongoing advancement of our organization and the well-being of all employees.

Making a material difference by investing in our future leaders and developing our greatest asset – Our People.

At Harlow Timber Group we have 100 years of experience in the timber industry.

Our strength is our people and the knowledge coupled with the experience they share as they offer solutions to our customers every day. In our sector, people deal with people. New and established relationships are the lifeblood of our industry.

As an Independent Business and an Employee-Owned Trust, we actively encourage our colleagues to live by our TIMBER values; Teamwork, Integrity, Motivation, Belong, Environment and Reliable.

So how does Harlow Timber Group make a material difference?

With a workforce of over 530 people spread across 13 sites in the UK and an industry-wide skills shortage in constrution, Harlow Timber Group values the development of its people to their full potential.

We are passionate about developing our people through our apprenticeship scheme and were one of the first timber merchants to sign up to the BMF pledge for 5% of the workforce to be actively engaged in apprentices. We recently held our first celebration day for all those who recently completed their apprenticeships.

We have also launched our own bespoke Harlow Timber Group Management Development Programme where our colleagues across the Group atend 7 one-day modules over a 9-month period and we have developed our e-learning portal, Harlow Academy, to deliver both mandatory and aspirational learning.

Here are a few examples of how we are investing in our future leaders.

Our Group vision is to inspire our employees to exceed our customers’ expectations. We want them to be the best version of themselves and to realise their full potential. The team responsible for all aspects of our employees from recruitment, retention & reward to learning & development has recently been rebranded as The People Team, putting our greatest asset, our people, at the heart of everything that we do.

As an important part of new employee inductions everyone is required to complete mandatory training, both on their first day and first week via the Harlow Academy. This ensures that key modules are completed such as manual handling, fire safety, equality and diversity, health and safety, social media, and workplace wellbeing, to ensure consistency of understanding across the Group.

By joining our industry sector, you will have the opportunity to make an impact, to influence and be part of the future, to develop your skills and to use your energy and enthusiasm to make a material difference.