Bentley’s chief comms and D&I officer Wayne Bruce on driving inclusivity for all
Exclusive: "Diversity increases creativity in the workplace," the executive shares about his illustrious journey through the luxury automotive industry
By Dale Fox
Wayne Bruce’s journey into the automotive industry began not with a vroom but with a secret snapshot.
“I was very lucky one day when I saw a prototype Rover in a Dunkin’ Donuts car park,” he recalls of a trip to the US to visit his parents, chatting to Attitude as the leader of the business category of this year’s Attitude 101, empowered by Bentley. “I hid behind my mother’s car and took a picture of this prototype and sent it into a car magazine in the UK. They gave me £20 for it.”
This serendipitous encounter marked the start of an illustrious career that would see Bruce not just work with cars, but also reshape how car companies engage with diversity and inclusivity — beginning with a job offer from the very magazine he’d sent the picture to.
Bruce’s love for all things four-wheeled, however, is more aesthetic than mechanical. “I’m no good with a spanner,” he jokes, admitting that while he lacks prowess in car mechanics, he has “an intimate knowledge of hubcaps”. Instead, his passion lies in the imagery and marketing behind cars, a fascination that led him from a failed maths degree to a career in car journalism and ultimately to the heart of luxury automotive PR.
“If in your career you have the option to go and work abroad, just do it”
After a relatively short stint as a journalist, Bruce took a PR position at Volkswagen before moving to Nissan, intrigued by the challenge of helping transform the brand. Bruce then helped launch the luxury brand Infiniti in Europe, an exciting phase that included a move to Geneva. “If in your career you have the option to go and work abroad, just do it,” he advises, reflecting on the personal and professional growth that comes with such opportunities.
But a turning point came with a call from McLaren Automotive, offering Bruce the role of comms director. “That was the most amazing journey,” he says, recounting the seven to eight years he spent establishing McLaren as a supercar brand to rival the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini.
In 2019, another milestone call came. “I was asked [by a headhunter] what brands would take me away from McLaren. I said two names, one of which was Bentley,” Bruce shares. The move to Bentley wasn’t just another gear shift for Bruce; it was a step into a role where he would have the chance to champion diversity and inclusion.
“We all belong to one planet”
“Diversity increases creativity in the workplace,” Bruce asserts. Under his leadership, Bentley is embracing this ethos wholeheartedly. The company has launched several initiatives, including five different colleague networks to foster inclusivity. “We have 52 nationalities working here. We sell in over 60 markets around the world. But we all belong to one planet,” Bruce states, summarising Bentley’s global yet inclusive outlook.
One such network is BeAccessible, which focuses on neurodiversity and mental health among employees. “The creation of that network gave the courage to neurodiverse colleagues to speak out and has allowed us to strengthen our policies around adjusting the workplace to allow these colleagues to be more comfortable and more productive in their work.”
One of Bruce’s proudest achievements at Bentley is the creation of BeProud, the Crewe-based company’s LGBTQ+ network. It began when Bentley was approached by the local council to sponsor the first-ever Crewe Pride. Responding to the call, Bruce proudly provided a donation on behalf of the company, as well as a rainbow-wrapped Bentley Continental to appear in the parade. After starting with two members, BeProud now boasts nearly 100. Bruce acknowledges the importance of visible queer role models that have stemmed from this, saying, “Seeing me be myself with the board and that the board allows me to be myself encourages [others] to do the same.”
“One of the big activities at Bentley in the last quarter of 2023 was to put all 200 of our leaders through a one-and-a-half-day inclusive leadership training programme”
Far from being an exercise in virtue signalling, awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion permeate throughout Bentley’s leadership, Bruce says.
“One of the big activities at Bentley in the last quarter of 2023 was to put all 200 of our leaders through a one-and-a-half-day inclusive leadership training programme, which is obviously a massive investment in terms of money but also time, especially taking our 200 most important people in terms of their leadership out of the business for a day and a half to talk about diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The company’s efforts extend beyond just human inclusivity under Bruce’s leadership. Part of Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy — its initiative to become the world’s leading sustainable luxury mobility brand — includes making its Crewe HQ more environmentally friendly. This has led to the nurturing of over 100,000 bees across 10 hives, alongside efforts like planting tulips and deploying flower bombs to enrich the natural habitat.
“We’re trying to increase biodiversity across the site,” Bruce explains, adding that the company recently celebrated its fifth year of honey-making thanks to its resident bees, with the coveted Bentley Honey only available as a gift to lucky visitors.
“We’ve had specific feedback of ‘I’m not buying a gay car; I’m returning my Bentley'”
But despite these strides in diversity and inclusivity, challenges remain. Bruce candidly discusses the backlash from some customers over Bentley’s LGBTQ+ initiatives. “We’ve had specific feedback of ‘I’m not buying a gay car; I’m returning my Bentley,’” he says. However, Bentley stands resolute. “For every customer we lose, fine,” Bruce states. “We’re sorry for that, but we know we’ll gain more.”
Outside work, Bruce cherishes time at home with his husband Cameron and their two adopted spaniels. “I just like being home,” he says, reflecting on the simple pleasures that balance his dynamic professional life.
And when it comes to the company’s future, with Wayne Bruce’s confident, inclusive approach behind the wheel of Bentley, its people and brand (and bees) look set to thrive on the road ahead.
Attitude 101, empowered by Bentley is our list of the year’s 101 most influential LGBTQ+ people.
The 10 categories, each featuring 10 individuals, are Media & Broadcast, Film, TV, and Music supported by LA Tourism, Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM), Third Sector & Community, Financial & Legal, Fashion, Art & Design, Sport, Travel, Business, and The Future supported by Clifford Chance.
The full Attitude 101 business list, empowered by Bentley
Wayne Bruce – Chief Communications and D&I Officer, Bentley Motors
Matthew Ashton – VP of Design, LEGO
Claudia Brind-Woody – Managing Director, IBM
Matt Dabrowski – CEO, OutBritain and OutScotland
Alim A. Dhanji – Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President, Equinox
Saleem Fazal MBE – Lawyer, Taylor Wessing
Rylan Holey – Alliance Lead UKI & MEA: Deloitte & Merkle-Adobe
AJ Fernandez Rivera – Managing Director, Accenture
Emma Springham – Chief Marketing Officer, TSB
Rick R. Suarez – Country President, AstraZeneca Spain
This feature appears in issue 357 of Attitude magazine, available to order online here, and alongside 15 years of back issues on the free Attitude app.
