Diversity in Transport NOW

What started in 2022 as a small but determined network has now evolved into a vibrant community, bringing together professionals from across Europe who share a simple but powerful goal: making transport more inclusive, equitable, and accessible for all.

Opening the conference, Mona Bjorklund, Director for Policy Coordination at the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), set the tone by reaffirming the European Commission’s full commitment to embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into every layer of transport policy.

With this message still resonating, participants dove into a day full of inspiring stories and practical exchanges. A storytelling session led by Nupur Poddar created space for personal experiences that remind us why DEI is not a future ambition, but a present necessity. From Alessia Giorgiutti sharing her perspective as a queer woman in transport, underlining the need for respect and representation to Stefania Pesavento offering a compelling testimony about living with an invisible disability and advocating for universal accessibility in mobility systems. These narratives sparked genuine dialogue on how lived experiences can meaningfully shape progress.

Throughout the day, updates came from the various subgroups that Ambassadors have created to focus on specific DEI topics. These subgroups are essential to how the Ambassadors organise their work, and they reported on both the achievements and ongoing challenges. These subgroups are:

• Mentorship programme
• Equal access to careers
• DEI in the workplace
• Persons with disabilities
• Inclusive research and data
• LGBTIQ transports users
• Women and gender equality
• Immigrants and ethnic minorities 

Lucia Mejía-Dorantes, leading the subgroup on ‘Immigrants and ethnic minorities’, highlighted the importance of fostering conversations that address multiple layers of identity, such as women with children or individuals with multiple disabilities. Meanwhile, Marianne Weinreich, co-leading the ‘Women and gender Equality subgroup’, presented their ambition to publish articles and blogs, host webinars for the European Gender Equality Week, and even a podcast to amplify voices within the network.

The ‘Persons with disabilities’ subgroup, represented by Kathleen Jacobi and Stefania Pesavento, reported on their awareness campaigns and knowledge-sharing activities, including disseminating the TRIPS project outcomes and hosting a webinar in November 2024. They outlined plans which included an Ambassador’s participation at ‘MOVE (Mobility re-imagined) London 2025’(already held on 19 June with the participation of Ambassadors such as Sandra Witzel, Stefania Pesavento and Catriona Meehan), to also increase LinkedIn engagement and produce additional blog posts and potentially a podcast.

Cate Bichara, subleader of the ‘Mentorship programmes’ subgroup, brought forward the encouraging results of a recent survey revealing strong interest in the future mentorship initiative. This programme will involve Ambassadors as both mentees and mentors, fostering collaboration and enhanced cooperation across the transport sector.

The conference was also marked by rich open discussions. Many Ambassadors addressed the need to merge under-resourced subgroups to maintain momentum and maximise participation. The conversation naturally evolved into a wider debate on how to enhance the network's online visibility. Suggestions ranged from creating distinctive profile badges, frames for profile pictures, even an annual Ambassadors Day to increase visibility and engagement and leveraging external conferences to promote DEI initiatives.

In the afternoon session, an interactive jeopardy-style quiz and a workshop session allowed Ambassadors to collaboratively draft concrete roadmaps for the year ahead. The conference concluded with the introduction of a new governance plan, aiming to ensure active membership and keep the network motivated.

And of course, clear priorities were set for the months ahead:

• Consolidate subgroups where necessary to optimise resources and participation.
• Finalise clear, specific action plans for each subgroup.
• Strengthen the network’s online presence with improved communication tools and strategies, for instance, through the publication of inspiring stories of Ambassadors.
• Create an easily recognisable online photo frame so that Ambassadors can use it on their social media.
• Explore launching a podcast and a regular newsletter to increase outreach and engagement.
• Develop practical toolkits, a presentation to introduce the network’s objectives and rationale, and common guidelines to support Ambassadors in their activities.
• Encourage all Ambassadors to stay connected, share their successes, and maintain active communication through all available channels.
• Create a steering committee in order to foster continuity and coordination of the activities.

The conference proved to be a significant momentum booster for the network. From publishing ambitions to increasing online visibility, the commitment of the Ambassadors is real. Now everyone is invited to engage with the network and to continue working towards a more inclusive and diverse transport sector in the EU.