First Bus appoints new Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

First Bus is delighted to announce the appointment of our new Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Gareth Hind, who joins the business following a 20-year career in the retail sector.

Gareth joins the Bus industry from Asda where he has, over the last 5 years, led a number of the people agendas including Learning and Development and Leadership Capability, and more recently EDI, engagement and digital communications.

Gareth brings a wealth of experience to the newly created role, having worked across major supermarket brands including Morrisons, Waitrose, The Co-Op and Asda.

Gareth Hind, Head of ED & I for First Bus said : “I am excited to move from feeding the nation with Asda to transporting the nation with First Bus!

“I am passionate about making a difference and creating a business where everyone is welcome, can succeed and be their true selves. I am keen to use both my operations experience and commercial acumen to do this in a way that promotes sustainable business practice and make it stick.

“In the new role I can already see the parallels between retail and bus, but also recognise the differences that make the bus industry truly unique. I am a big believer in the role of allyship in EDI, and firmly believe the success of any EDI strategy is incumbent on the allies within it. Without allies, there is no strategy.”

The new appointment comes at a crucial time for the transport sector, as both employees and customers begin to vote with their feet around organisations’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) activity as well as their ED& I credentials.

First Bus are looking to execute an ambitious new plan to improve sustainability and its impact on the climate crisis, while having their people at the heart of that journey and this new hire is the latest step of that process.

Kevin Green Chief People Officer, First Bus said: “I’m delighted that Gareth has joined us to help drive forward our ED&I agenda as we all focus together on making First Bus a welcoming place for both colleagues and customers alike.”

“We’re in the process of a big organisational transformation, moving from being an asset-based business focused on buses, to one that’s more customer and service-orientated, that puts people at the heart of everything we do.

“Our culture as a business is changing for the better against the backdrop of all our decarbonisation efforts, and we’re planning to use this to engage our people so they come on that journey with us.”

ENDS