Diversity and inclusion

By signing the Diversity Charter in 2022, the Executive Board of HHLA strengthened the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in the work environment and undertook to sustainably practise diversity and inclusion management within the company. A Diversity and Inclusion team, which reports directly to the Executive Board, has been in place since 1 January 2023.

The measures derived from the Diversity & Inclusion strategy were expanded and developed during the reporting year. The strategy rests on three pillars:

• “Creating awareness”
• “Encouraging and demanding commitment”, and
• “Implementation”

In 2024, internal and external communication was therefore intensified in order draw greater attention to the topic. This involved, for example, organising participation in Diversity Day and International Women’s Day. Furthermore, workshops were carried out with individual teams and departments, and the training portfolio supplemented with topic-specific webinars.

To strengthen employee commitment, the workforce requested that a women’s network be established for women in technical jobs. More than 60 people took part in the opening event. Working groups have already been formed as a result. A further success was the launch of an internal allyship campaign, which was continued throughout 2024.

In order to strengthen individual measures at a strategic level, data continued to be collected and dialogue with the recruitment team was intensified. In one of the related measures, a guideline was developed for more inclusivity in job ads. The partnership with the departments responsible for defining personnel processes within the company is being expanded. In conjunction with personnel development, progress has also been made in the positioning of diversity-related topics, such as with intensive workshops for young talents.

International cooperation at HHLA was strengthened with the first ever Diversity Week held at HHLA’s Trieste site. The founding of a Diversity Council there, as well as management training on inclusive leadership, were the first measures to raise awareness and were also implemented internationally.

The share of women employed by HHLA in Germany (including apprentices) amounted to 17.0 % (previous year: 16.9 %). During the reporting period, the proportion of women working at the foreign subsidiaries was 22.9 % (previous year: 22.3 %).

The gender distribution on the Executive Board and in the two management levels below the Executive Board is governed by the German Act on the Equal Participation of Men and Women in Executive Positions in the Public and Private Sectors and by the targets agreed by the Supervisory Board and, where applicable, the Executive Board. Disclosures in accordance with Section 289f (2) no. 4 and 5a HGB

The percentage of employees with a severe disability (including persons of an equivalent status) in Germany was 8.4 % at the end of the reporting period (previous year: 8.3 %).