At Birmingham City University, the That’s Me project is about amplifying diverse voices and highlighting how employers are working to create fairer, more inclusive workplaces. The project not only showcases the lived experiences of individuals from the global majority, but also the role of leaders and organisations in driving structural change.
For this spotlight, we spoke with Rowan Crozier, Chief Executive of Birmingham-based manufacturer Brandauer. Rowan is committed to reshaping the company’s culture, workforce and practices to reflect the diversity of the city it calls home.
Can you start by telling us about your role and your company?
Rowan:
I’m the Chief Executive of Brandauer, a precision engineering and manufacturing business. We employ around 65 people across two sites in Birmingham and Aldridge, turning over about £10 million a year.
What we actually do is design and manufacture high-speed progression tooling, which then goes into power presses to produce metal components. We supply into around 26 countries and 10 different sectors, including construction, electronics, automotive, telecommunications, and healthcare.
What I most enjoy is the people I get to work with, both customers and colleagues. When I joined the company, though, I was struck by the lack of diversity—probably 99% white male, despite being based in Newtown, one of Birmingham’s most diverse communities. That was shocking, and it really marked the start of our journey to become a more inclusive employer.
What drives Brandauer’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion?
Rowan:
There are three main drivers.
First, our sector faces a huge skills gap and an ageing workforce. If we keep recruiting the same way, from the same demographic, we’ll never solve that. We need to attract more people from different backgrounds if we want to build a sustainable workforce.
Second, we see better performance from a more diverse team. Different perspectives mean better problem-solving. When you’ve got people with varied experiences tackling issues together, you get to solutions faster and more effectively.
And third, it’s personal. I’ve lived and worked in Birmingham for most of my adult life. I’m passionate about this city—its diversity is its strength. I want Brandauer to reflect that and to help improve social mobility in our region.
You mentioned performance—how does diversity make a difference in practice?
Rowan:
Problem-solving is at the heart of what we do. If you only have white male engineers, they’ll tend to think the same way, and you don’t always get to the best solution.
When you put a diverse team together—different backgrounds, genders, ways of thinking—you get a much broader pool of ideas. For example, if we have a quality issue and a customer receives an out-of-specification part, we need a team to do a root cause analysis. A diverse team will get to the root cause faster and more accurately than a group of people who all think alike.
What key initiatives have you introduced to make Brandauer more inclusive?
Rowan:
It started with the board undertaking EDI awareness training, which raised important questions about how we worked. From there, we rolled out cross-company diversity training and began measuring how diverse we actually were—setting ourselves manageable targets to improve.
We also realised our recruitment processes needed to change. Our website was very customer-focused and not appealing to potential employees. We redesigned it to better reflect diversity and show that we’re an inclusive employer. In 10 years, we’ve gone from around 1% ethnic minority employees to about 25%. That’s progress, though there’s still work to do.
How do you ensure employees from all backgrounds feel valued and heard?
Rowan:
That’s one of the hardest things to get right. When I became CEO, the culture was broken. So I asked every team three questions: What do you like about Brandauer? What don’t you like? And what do you want us to change? From their answers, we created a cultural statement that gave everyone a voice.
Since then, we’ve introduced anonymous employee surveys, which now get 100% participation, and a recognition platform where staff can nominate peers for living our values. Recognition might be something simple, like a coffee or a breakfast voucher, but it goes a long way.
The other big thing is autonomy—trusting people to make decisions without fear of being penalised if they don’t get it perfect first time. That builds trust both ways and empowers people to lead in their own roles.
What role does leadership play in driving EDI?
Rowan:
It has to start at the top. For us, the journey began at board level. Leadership must not only set the agenda but also keep pushing it, checking in regularly, and showing enthusiasm. Without that, cultural change doesn’t stick.
Finally, what advice would you give to other employers looking to advance inclusion?
Rowan:
Don’t be afraid to learn from others. Some of our best ideas have come from looking at what other businesses are doing—both the successes and the failures. Spend as much time outside your business learning as you do inside implementing.
Join networks, build academic partnerships, and share your own journey so others can learn from you too. Promoting what you’re doing—loudly and clearly—not only spreads good practice but keeps you accountable to your own goals.
Brandauer’s journey shows how leadership commitment can begin to transform not only a company’s culture but also its impact in the wider region. Stay tuned for more employer spotlights as we continue to showcase organisations across the West Midlands who are working towards greater equality, diversity and inclusion.
Learn more about the That’s Me! project, the Employer Board, and upcoming events.
