Jun 19, 2024 - Business

McLaren Racing wants to boost number of women staff: CEO

Kerry Flynn

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, McLaren Racing CMO Louise McEwen, Formula One driver Lando Norris, Intercontinental Exchange and New York Stock Exchange CMO Stephanie Dobbs Brown and Axios' Sara Fischer onstage at Women's Sports House in Cannes. Photo: Sean T. Smith

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown wants to double the percentage of staffers from underrepresented communities, the majority being women, from roughly 20% to 40% by the end of the decade, he told Axios on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The goal comes amid the rapid growth of Formula One in the U.S. and increased fandom around the sport.

Driving the news: "I think it's just going to make us a better racing team on the track and off the track," Brown said at Women's Sports House, hosted by Axios and Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment, in Cannes.

"It's not just about getting females in Formula One championship ... but also in mechanics, marketing and engineers," he said.

How it works: Brown said one way to meet that goal is to raise awareness of the sport among women and other underrepresented people, and noted McLaren's 60 Scholars program that supports women in STEM.

Lando Norris, a Formula One driver with McLaren Racing who was also on the panel, said it's important to introduce the sport to people when they are young.
"I think what we need to push for is to get more [girls] to start in the first place. Because everyone you see in Formula One and Formula Two, they're starting when they're 5, 6 or 7 years old. They're not starting when they're 15," Norris said.

Storytelling can be key for raising awareness among women, said Stephanie Dobbs Brown, chief marketing officer at Intercontinental Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange, which has a multi-year partnership with McLaren.

Go deeper: X wants to produce more sports docuseries for "ferocious" fans, CEO says

Add Axios on Google

McLaren Racing wants to boost number of women staff: CEO

What to read next