The diversity of our workforce is one of the cornerstones of our commercial success. We benefit in large measure from the abilities and know-how of our employees, whether they be female or male, older or younger, and from the various nationalities within the Group's workforce. The diversity of our employees helps us to appropriately reflect within our own organisation the diverse business environment in which our company operates. We have therefore made the continued cultivation of diversity a goal of our Sustainability Strategy 2015 – 2017.
In the year under review we again systematically pursued this goal and, for example, successfully continued the mentoring programme for women. Over the medium term we are seeking in this way to increase the proportion of women in management positions.
We have been quick to tackle the challenges of an ageing workforce. In the context of our generation management, for example, we have put in place measures to promote cooperation between new and seasoned members of staff. We also offer our older members of staff courses designed to prepare them for retirement.