Astrium, Europe’s leading space technology company, has unveiled its diversity charter to mark a special diversity day involving ten of its European sites.

The charter provides a diversity framework and restates the commitment of Astrium employees and management to diversity in all its forms.

“Nationality, age, sex, disability: everyone knows that diversity is a source of wealth for any company, and that’s particularly true in the case of Astrium, whose 18,000 employees around the world comprise 41 different nationalities,” said Astrium CEO Francois Auque. “That is why we have set about pulling together and organising all existing initiatives at our various sites through a single charter for diversity – an issue we are committed to on a daily basis, both in our recruitment policy, which aims to bring in a wide variety of graduates, and in the way we organise our work.” Astrium makes the following pledges in the charter:

* Developing a management culture which values differences

* Ensuring employees are managed consistently, through professional processes and management practices

* Gradually increasing the diversity of those holding high level positions within the company, through dynamic HR marketing, recruitment, career development and promotion policies

* Developing an international workforce, wherever possible, through appropriate recruitment and HR policies

* Communicating regularly on our commitments to all employees and stakeholders, informing them about the results of our initiatives, in particular via a dedicated website/Intranet pages and within our Corporate Social Responsibility report.

“Promoting diversity is one way of being more creative and innovative in the way we work, both at a personal level and in the work our teams carry out at Astrium,” added Auque. “I will be personally ensuring that our commitment to diversity is ongoing, as it is one of the keys to our future success.”

Aside from the various employee initiatives taking place at each Astrium site, a number of actions have already been implemented. These include the creation of a network to promote equal opportunity, the appointment of a dedicated diversity interface at Astrium’s HR department and, not least, a recruitment, training and internal promotion policy that puts the emphasis firmly on the drive towards greater diversity.

About Astrium

Astrium is the number one company in Europe for space technologies and the third in the world. In 2011, Astrium had a turnover close to O5 billion and 18,000 employees worldwide, mainly in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.

Astrium is the sole European company that covers the whole range of civil and defence space systems and services.

Its three business units are: Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure; Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment; Astrium Services for comprehensive fixed and mobile end-to-end solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, high security and broadcast satellite communications equipment and systems, and bespoke geo-information services, worldwide.

Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2011, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of O 49.1 billion and employed a workforce of over 133,000.