What is Bentley’s People and Culture Strategy?

For the 15th year in a row, Bentley has been named a UK top employer by the Top Employers Institute, on the results of its annual HR best practices survey. 

Under the research, the automotive manufacturer was assessed across people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition and learning and development. 

Celebrating the achievement, Dr. Karen Lange, Member of the Board for People & Culture at Bentley, says: “For more than a century, Bentley’s success has been built on the strength and spirit of our people and, alongside this, we are committed to offering an inclusive and high performance workplace so we can attract and retain top talent. 

“Through continuous learning and development, we provide our colleagues with the tools and opportunities to grow, take care of their wellbeing and foster career longevity.

“Being recognised again is a tribute to the resilience our colleagues show every day. Adapting with purpose, supporting one another and keeping our standards exceptional, no matter the challenge.”

Bentley’s approach to social sustainability

Part of Bentley’s people and culture strategy falls under its social sustainability model, in which the company strives to attract and develop employees who are curious, creative and have a growth mindset. 

In particular, the business works to nurture local talent by collaborating closely with schools and colleges in its area – including its founding partnership with the Crewe Engineering and Design University Technical College. 

Diversity is also a key commitment for Bentley when approaching talent acquisition, with the company aiming to achieve 25% gender diversity in leadership roles by 2030. 

Part of its plan for attracting and retaining diverse talent is through its Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Alliance (IDEA) programme. 

This includes resource groups that allow employees to connect with each other globally such as OpenAbilities, OpenPride, People of Color in the US, Women at Bentley, and Veterans and Military Families at Bentley. 

Investing in employee growth

Bentley invests in continuous growth opportunities and professional development as part of its people and culture strategy for employees of all levels. 

As part of its plan to go fully electric by 2035, the company began an apprenticeship programme with the City of Wolverhampton college. 

This three-year apprenticeship programme was created in 2025, giving staff the latest training in how to produce electric cars and learning to maintain and develop electric systems alongside on-site work. 

Bentley has also created a leadership development programme to identify and accelerate career growth for top executives. 

Called Leadership Enablement and Development (LEAD), this initiative focuses on developing high-performing candidates at the director level and above. 

Lasting nine months, employees within the LEAD initiative explore five key pathways: defining leadership, building trust, creating strategy, execution and coaching potential. 

One-on-one mentoring with executives is also offered to develop leadership competencies based on 360 feedback, personality assessments and action planning. 

Supporting Bentley’s electric future

Bentley’s overall people and culture strategy has been developed in alignment with Beyond 100+, the company’s plan for a fully electric future by 2035. 

With the ambitious target to produce a new plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) or battery electric vehicle (BEV), the company says within its overall strategy that it will need ‘a fundamental reinvention’ of its infrastructure to nurture ‘the next generation of products and colleagues’. 

As such a major shift takes place at Bentley, the company is prioritising a robust people strategy, helping it retain and upskill top talent for the EV era.