At leading technology provider Arm, fostering a sense of belonging across a global workforce is both a strategic priority and a foundation for innovation. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are central to this mission, connecting colleagues, supporting People and Culture strategy and helping the company to build the future as Cherril Joseph, Global DEI Director and Ian Shaw, Global DEI Senior Manager, explain.
Arm’s ERG Investment
Arm believes real transformation happens when bold ideas, diverse voices and purposeful collaboration come together. Arm has seven global ERGs – Asian@Arm, Black@Arm, Disability@Arm, Neurodiversity@Arm, Pride@Arm, Unidos@Arm and Women@Arm – each with two global co-chairs, a senior sponsor and a dedicated committee. Their activities align with the company’s DEI strategy, and each ERG revisits its mission annually around three pillars: culture, community and career.
Over the last few years, Arm’s investment in its ERGs has remained strong. “Our commitment to ERGs has “increased”, says Cherril Joseph. Arm’s continued support ensures employees can bring their authentic selves to work, feeding a culture of creativity that sparks innovation.
Shaping People Strategy
Recently, Arm’s ERGs have shifted from traditional frameworks to focus on peer collaboration, innovation and strategic alliances with external partners.
“We’ve pivoted to provide ERGs with more tools and development opportunities, focusing on strategic outcomes rather than just frameworks and budgets.”
Cherril Joseph – Arm
This new approach is paying dividends and as community perspectives are increasingly integrated into global policy, ERGs at Arm are actively shaping People strategy through a range of targeted initiatives.
A powerful example is Arm’s Annual People Data Census, which is shaped with ERG input. Last year, Arm’s ERGs were consulted on the survey and engaged to build trust and drive participation – which increased from 56% to 64%.
ERGs have also been pivotal in creating Arm’s Global Inclusive Workplace Design Framework and launching a more accessible wellbeing platform for employees. “Historically, our wellbeing and benefits were country specific. The goal was to make our offering more equitable and accessible globally, consolidating information from various country-specific sources into one platform and highlighting previously hidden benefits through ERG stories”, says Cherril.
“ERG insights also help us to progress initiatives at pace and land them in the right way with colleagues”, she explains. In the past two years the company has grown from more than 7,000 to 11,000 employees around the world, which makes ERG input more valuable than ever. “Everyone has a different way of showing up at work and in a large global company, it’s important that we are as inclusive as we can be”, Cherril adds.
Aston Martin Aramco Formula OneTM Partnership
Arm’s ERGs are also making an impact externally, thanks to a number of powerful partnerships. A standout collaboration is with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula OneTM team, focusing on three core areas: tech integration, inclusion and employee experience. The landmark partnership has resulted in high-impact events for International Women’s Day, Women in Engineering Day and Pride.
“Our partnership with Aston Martin Aramco is truly groundbreaking and our ERGs are playing a valuable role in the inclusion pillar initiatives”
Cherril Joseph – Arm
These include the ‘Make a Mark’ ESG programme, which works with students from diverse backgrounds to explore careers in tech and motorsport. Arm is contributing to this by delivering educational sessions with students and raising awareness of engineering careers.
A key outcome of the partnership is a cross-company mentorship programme, pairing mentors from Arm with Aston Martin Aramco mentees. The initiative, which is the brainchild of Arm’s Chief Diversity officer and Aston Martin Aramco ESG Director, is being driven by Women’s ERG network leads at both companies. “Our Women@Arm ERG have had a huge impact around the Aston Martin Aramco mentorship scheme. “They are committed to making the scheme a success, and we’re excited to see where it might go next”, Ian explains. Attracting Future Talent
Arm’s ERGs are also essential to the company’s talent attraction and retention efforts, ensuring recruitment and development strategies are both inclusive and effective.
Arm’s approach to broaden their talent pools and increase diverse hiring, has led to ERG members actively taking part in recruitment events at universities and colleges making direct connections with prospective candidates and enabling on-site applications. Cherril says, “Our Black@Arm ERG are heavily involved in this work, for example, supporting efforts to be present at universities we historically haven’t visited.” Cherril also cites ERG initiatives in Africa and LatAm, where Arm is actively recruiting underrepresented groups into its Developer Program.
Meeting Key Challenges
While ERGs at Arm are making significant strides, they face the same challenges as many other employee networks in large organisations, in terms of recruitment, engagement and workload. Arm addresses these challenges by supporting all new ERG leads with training, measuring ERG impact and rewarding and recognising network success.
“We want to help everyone understand the importance of being involved and the importance of being an ally. Inclusion means reaching everyone,”
Cherril Joseph – Arm
Driving Inclusion and Innovation
Reflecting on the impact of Arm’s ERGs, Cherril Joseph says that they are at the heart of Arm’s DEI strategy “Their collaborative work not only shapes business outcomes but brings authenticity and unity to company life’, she says. “Through our ERGs, people who may not have always felt represented are now feeling included and empowered to reach their potential at work”.
Looking to the future, Arm sees its ERGs as fundamental to maintaining an environment where collective effort, diverse perspectives and strategic action drive meaningful, lasting change, as Cherril sums up.
“At Arm, ERGs serve as a lever for the DEI team to translate inclusion into tangible experiences for employees. Through their programmes, campaigns and shared lived experiences our ERGs bring alive the positive impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion, showcasing how individuals can feel more represented and included in the company’s work.”
At Radius, we’re proud to work with the world’s most inclusive employers – organisations that put people first and are committed to building workspaces where everyone belongs.
Our 2026 Radius Global ERG Impact Report offers strong evidence that ERGs are continuing to deliver impact at scale – driving change, strengthening inclusion and belonging developing talent and skills and supporting workplace resilience and wellbeing.
