Mott MacDonald is a global, employee-owned engineering, management and development consultancy driven by the belief that inclusion is essential to shaping a better world. With over 18,000 employees, our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do. As an employee-owned business, our values — integrity, respect, care — underpin our long-term commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
Our culture journey is intentional and transformative. We recognise that in a sector traditionally underrepresented in gender and ethnicity, cultural change must be embedded at every level. This understanding shapes our EDI strategy: “Everyone’s Business.” It frames EDI as an organisational priority, owned collectively, and embedded into governance, performance management and service delivery.
In 2024, our commitment was formally recognised with Clear Assured Gold accreditation, just 12 months after achieving Silver — a rare leap, demonstrating rapid and sustained progress. The assessors commended our structured, data-driven approach and our proactive, inclusive culture work. We also earned a place on the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers list for the past two years.
Key achievements include:
•Representation & Progression: Women now represent 34.5% of our UK workforce, up from 31.7% in 2021, with 21.8% in senior leadership roles, up from 16.6%. Women accounted for 42% of promotions in 2024.
An ethnicity talent development programme launches this year to accelerate ethnic minority progression.
•Inclusive Hiring: We removed the 2:1 degree requirement for most graduate roles, introduced inclusive job descriptions with gender decoders, and upskilled hiring managers on bias. We partner with AFBE, 10,000 Black Interns, STEM Returners, Breakthrough and other organisations widen our reach and dismantle barriers.
•Governance & Accountability: EDI dashboards cross-analyse data by protected characteristic across recruitment, progression and retention. Business units have local EDI action plans and champions. EDI performance goals are encouraged for all staff and monitored at board level.
•Career Development: Our Connected Conversations performance framework includes structured discussions of potential. Balanced scorecards are used in senior promotions to mitigate bias and ensure transparent decisions. We’ve improved career pathways and made criteria accessible and consistent across grades.
•Workplace Flexibility: Flexibility is not an exception — it’s the norm. 92% of staff report they feel supported to work flexibly, and 92% say our hybrid model supports their wellbeing and commitments. Our Sunshine Parents & Carers network plays a key role in shaping policy and practice.
•Inclusive Behaviour & Learning: We launched a nine-month Inclusive Behaviours Campaign, combining practical resources (e.g. microaggressions guide, inclusive etiquette), monthly dilemmas for team discussion, updated e-learning (allyship, bias, bystander action), and leadership messaging. It normalised conversation around everyday inclusion, and made EDI part of how we work — not just what we learn.
•Respect & Safety: We introduced a zero-tolerance sexual harassment e-learning module with an updated Dignity at Work policy. We have multiple, confidential Speak Up channels, and a senior sponsor for sexual harassment. Managers received specific training on bullying, psychological safety, and post-parental leave support.
•Our employee networks — covering gender, race, disability, LGBTQ+ and carers — are central to cultural transformation. They co-create campaigns, support policy change, and bring lived experience to strategy development.
Crucially, this progress has been sustained through leadership accountability, infrastructure, and regular evaluation. Mott MacDonald’s inclusive culture is not a side project — it’s core to our identity and how we deliver better outcomes for clients and communities. While we’re proud of how far we’ve come, we remain focused on the work ahead.