Heinemann Oceania has announced its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) has been endorsed by Reconciliation Australia, a significant milestone in its journey towards reconciliation with Australia’s First Nations peoples.
Heinemann is the first travel retail operator to have a RAP endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.
Under its Reflect RAP, Heinemann Oceania commits to establishing respectful ongoing relationships with First Nations peoples and stakeholders within its sphere of influence and local area, promoting positive race relations, increasing cultural learning among team members, and improving economic outcomes for First Nations peoples and communities.
Heinemann’s Reflect RAP builds upon the implementation of the company’s reconciliation actions to this point. This includes participating in annual celebrated First Nations events such as National Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC Week, and recognising other annual commemorative dates and their significance. Heinemann Oceania also includes an ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ in daily business, and engaged a First Nations Elder to perform a ‘Welcome to Country’ at the opening of its new Gold Coast Airport domestic store. Additionally, the company has partnered with Evolve Communities to continue its competency development.
“I am immensely proud to take this step towards reconciliation as a signifier of our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging,” commented Heinemann Oceania Managing Director George Tsoukalas. “This is also an advancement of Heinemann’s vision of becoming the most human-centric company in travel retail. We recognise that our stores and our team members are often the first and last touchpoint of international visitors to Australia, and we believe we have an important role to play as a platform for First Nations diverse cultures and businesses. I look forward to realising our RAP commitments together with our team.”
As part of the RAP development process, Heinemann Oceania commissioned an original artwork by Joanne Stanford, a proud Gamilaraay, Yuwaalaraay, Yuin and Wailwan Yinarr (Women in Gamilaraay) who currently resides on Dharug Country, to illustrate its aspirations for its reconciliation journey. The artwork interweaves symbols representing a meeting place and coming together, a journey, and Australia’s diverse natural landscapes. An overarching motif is a representation of the Cooks River along which Heinemann Oceania’s Sydney headquarters sits. The river is also a nod to Heinemann’s long heritage as a ship supplier and its global headquarters’ position on the Elbe River in Hamburg.
The RAP was developed by a working group of Heinemann Oceania and Heinemann Asia Pacific team members who volunteered their time to usher the RAP through the drafting and approval process, along with the advice and guidance of First Nations consultant Maria Watson-Trudgett. The working group reports to the RAP Steering Committee made up of Heinemann Oceania’s senior leadership team and chaired by the Managing Director. The RAP Working Group is chaired by Carol Nazha, Head of People and Culture at Heinemann Oceania.
Source link : https://www.dfnionline.com/csr/heinemann-oceania-announces-first-reconciliation-action-plan-09-10-2024/
Author :
Publish date : 2024-10-09 05:13:45
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.