Diversity Strategy · Swire Shipping

Swire Shipping

Building a Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategy Across 22 Countries.

Creating a practical roadmap for inclusion across one of the world's most culturally diverse maritime workforces.

Client Goals

The mandate

The China Navigation Company (now Swire Shipping) engaged Culture Plus to develop a global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy to support a workforce spanning 22 countries and territories across Asia-Pacific, Oceania, Europe and North America. Operating across highly diverse cultural, social and regulatory environments, the organisation recognised that diversity was already one of its greatest strengths. While numerous diversity and inclusion initiatives existed across the business, leadership recognised the need for a more strategic and coordinated approach.

●Establish a shared global vision for diversity, equity and inclusion
●Understand the lived experience of employees across diverse cultural contexts
●Identify organisational strengths, risks and opportunities
●Strengthen leadership accountability and governance
●Create a practical roadmap for implementation across multiple regions
●Balance global consistency with local relevance

What We Did

Our approach

1. Global Diversity & Inclusion Diagnostic

●Workforce demographic analysis
●Review of policies, systems and existing initiatives
●Assessment of governance and accountability structures
●Executive and stakeholder consultation
●Evaluation of organisational capability and maturity
●Benchmarking against diversity and inclusion good practice

2. Global Stakeholder Engagement

●Experiences of inclusion and belonging
●Perceptions of leadership commitment
●Barriers to participation and progression
●Cultural and regional differences impacting employee experience
●Opportunities to strengthen inclusion across the employee lifecycle

3. Executive Alignment & Strategic Prioritisation

●Validate diagnostic findings
●Prioritise organisational risks and opportunities
●Align DEI priorities to business objectives
●Build executive ownership and accountability
●Establish a shared vision for future-state inclusion

4. Development of a Global DEI Strategy

●A clear vision and business case for DEI
●Strategic priorities aligned to identified risks and opportunities
●Governance and accountability frameworks
●Leadership capability recommendations
●Employee engagement and participation structures
●Diversity and inclusion capability development initiatives
●Measurement and reporting mechanisms

5. Detailed Multi-Year Implementation Roadmap

●Strategic priorities aligned to business risks and opportunities
●Sequenced actions across immediate, short-, medium- and longer-term horizons
●Defined ownership and accountability
●Key stakeholders for each initiative
●Required deliverables
●Practical implementation guidance
●Success measures for each strategic priority
●Recommended next steps for execution

The Outcome

What changed

The organisation gained a globally aligned, evidence-based DEI Strategy supported by a practical implementation framework.

Strategic Clarity

●Organisational strengths and gaps
●Enterprise-wide inclusion priorities
●Regional and market-specific considerations
●Strategic opportunities to strengthen employee experience

Stronger Governance & Accountability

●Clear executive ownership
●Governance structures to support implementation
●Defined accountability for key initiatives
●Measurement and reporting mechanisms

Global Consistency with Local Flexibility

●Establish a common global direction
●Respect local cultural contexts
●Adapt implementation approaches to market realities
●Balance enterprise priorities with regional needs

Implementation Readiness

●A detailed implementation roadmap
●Sequenced actions and priorities
●Defined ownership
●Practical implementation guidance
●Success measures and evaluation indicators

Foundation for Long-Term Cultural Change

●Diversity, equity and inclusion positioned as a leadership responsibility
●A business priority
●A governance consideration
●A long-term organisational capability

Key Impact Areas

Where it landed

Global Workforce Inclusion

Strategy designed for a workforce spanning 22 countries and territories.

Leadership Accountability

Executive ownership and governance established.

Evidence-Based Decision Making

Priorities grounded in robust diagnostic findings.

Implementation Focus

Detailed roadmap supporting execution, not just strategy development.

Global-Local Alignment

Enterprise consistency balanced with local relevance.

Sustainable Change

Clear structures to support long-term implementation.

Services Delivered

What we provided

✓Global Diversity & Inclusion Diagnostic
✓Workforce Data & Policy Review
✓Executive & Stakeholder Consultation
✓Diversity & Inclusion Benchmarking
✓Global DEI Strategy Development
✓Executive Committee Facilitation
✓Governance & Accountability Framework Design
✓Multi-Year Implementation Roadmap
✓Success Measures & Evaluation Framework

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