BMW GROUP @ ONE YOUNG WORLD SUMMIT MANCHESTER 2022.

A gathering that radiates positive energy: Every year, the One Young World (OYW) Summit serves as an inspiring congress for young talents who want to change the world in a positive way. As this year’s host, Manchester was at the centre of the innovative spirit emanating from the 2,000 young leaders from around the world taking part in the event. The BMW Group itself was represented by 52 delegates.

The focus topics for the four-day summit were issues that concern the whole world and demand solutions: conflict prevention, global gender equality, clean oceans, responsible leadership and health. 2,000 young professionals from 190 countries debated these issues among themselves, networked with each other, shared new perspectives and considered bold new solutions.

The mood among this year’s BMW Group delegation was particularly enthusiastic. Ilka Horstmeier, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Human Resources, Real Estate and Labour Relations, who accompanied the trip and delivered a keynote address to the congress, was impressed by the contagious enthusiasm and commitment of all the delegates: This is exactly the spirit the young talents need to take back to their companies, she said – to spark new ideas and drive sustainable transformation of those companies.

THE BMW GROUP’S OYW DELEGATES 2022.

The 36 BMW Group delegates discussed sustainable perspectives for cross-cutting social and ecological issues with the other participants. Responsible conduct, both in the interest of society and within the company’s own value chain, is firmly established in the BMW Group’s corporate culture, not least through its sustainability strategy. The company has always trusted in the ideas and pioneering spirit of the younger generation and invests accordingly in training new managers. The goals of the BMW Group therefore go hand in hand with the vision of One Young World.

The delegation from the BMW Group, which has partnered with OYW since 2016, was not diverse by chance – it was diverse because the potential for innovation lies in precisely those different perspectives. The delegation was made up of ambitious young people from all areas of the company and from different regions, including ten winners of the “Intercultural Innovation Award” – a long-standing cooperation between the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations and the BMW Group – as well as five winners of the company’s internal accelerator programme “Innovation Impact Challenge” from India and the US. These young talents – just over half of them women – are already taking on social responsibility within the company.

Dr. Lisa Kissmer

„Responsible leadership is an attitude that — based on one's own values — should be lived stringently and authentically. It is important to reflect on one's own actions and activities not only regarding company interests, but also their impact on society.“

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Tebogo Ramagoshi

„What an honour it was to attend OYW and being afforded the opportunity to share with the delegates the difference BMW Group is making in its communities. Meeting many delegates from across the global and most importantly my continent to discuss how we can assist each other in making a difference in our spaces showed the power of making a difference in numbers and the importance of collaboration. The summit will leave you inspired and ready to take on any challenge, no matter how small the difference is that you’re making, don’t stop.”

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Magdalena Lippenberger

„The energy with people from over 190 countries was stunning! We listened to great keynotes, participated in workshops, and learned so much about social and environmental challenges. We heard from impressive personalities with different backgrounds about their solutions and their impact for a better future. The OYW spark went over, and my confidence to think bigger is growing. Now it’s up to us to make a change.”

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Nafis Bilal

„What really motivates me about OYW is the fact that everyone there is passionate about the well-being of others, not only in their respective communities, but for the entire world. The focus is on the seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. To meet these goals, synergy and collaboration from people that have dedicated their lives to adding value to others is required.”

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A delegation shaped by diversity.

Intensive onboarding process.

To give the young people the ideal introduction to the topics and methodology they would encounter in Manchester, the BMW Group delegates were prepared for the meeting in an onboarding process that began in March 2022. BMW Group experts, as well as guests, brought the young talents up to speed on summit topics, such as sustainability, health and ethical leadership in a corporate context. Small teams came up with solutions and participants taught each other about intercultural communications.

One of the highlights was a meeting at BMW Welt in July 2022: In cooperation with the city of Munich, the BMW Group brought the around 100 delegates from different companies in the Munich area together with representatives of the state capital for an interdisciplinary kick-off event. The meeting invited them to broaden their horizons – by looking beyond their own company and beyond their own industry.

Talents make the transformation happen.

Developing young talents is a core element of the BMW Group’s HR strategy – because they help shape and drive the transformation towards a digital, sustainable and circular company. A generation of creative leaders is needed that can combine technological challenges, sustainability and social responsibility. The OYW, with its mission of identifying promising young professionals around the world, developing them and bringing them together, serves as a very special kind of talent factory. Against this backdrop, the BMW Group organised a workshop in Manchester on the subject “What does responsible leadership mean?”, facilitated by two BMW Group delegates.

Everything the talent congress stands for – creative, innovative, sustainable thinking – is reflected in a BMW Group project presented in Manchester by Tebogo Matsatsi Ramagoshi, an employee from South Africa: Late this year, a block of six high-voltage batteries will go on-stream at a school near Rosslyn. It will store energy generated by a photovoltaic system on the roof of the school and supply the building with electricity on a daily basis – using batteries previously installed in BMW i development vehicles.

Looking ahead to One Young World Summit 2023.

The spirit of Manchester 2022 extends far beyond the congress itself, reaching out into the companies. The best-case scenario is that it will provide the initial spark for many promising ideas. The next Summit in 2023 is already on the horizon – this time in Belfast, a city on the move that, with its dynamism and optimism, is the ideal host for the architects of the future.

Thank you to ONE YOUNG WORLD for the image rights.

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