INTERVIEW
where everyone feels safe sharing bold ideas or questioning norms without fear of being shut down.
You touched upon the vital role that mentorship plays, but you also emphasise that ‘sponsorship’ is what actually moves the needle. Could you explain the difference in how those two relationships function at SRAM? At SRAM, we often talk about the importance of developing people. Mentorship typically focuses on guidance and development. A mentor shares knowledge, provides feedback, and helps someone think through challenges. It’s advice- oriented.
Sponsorship, on the other hand, goes a step further. A sponsor actively advocates for someone’s advancement. This means using your influence to create opportunities, such as recommending someone for a stretch assignment, supporting them for a promotion, or ensuring their work and potential are visible to decision-makers. Sponsorship moves beyond guidance to action. For leaders, shifting from mentorship to sponsorship is
important because access to opportunity is often what accelerates growth. While mentorship helps individuals prepare, sponsorship helps open doors. When leaders intentionally sponsor talent, especially individuals who may not always have the same visibility or networks, it ensures that potential is recognised across the organisation. At its core, sponsorship reflects one of the most powerful ways leaders can live our commitment to developing people.
SRAM operates in many different regions. How do you tailor your efforts to support and uplift local communities, particularly in areas that may be underserved? SRAM aspires to maximise access while minimising barriers. Within different communities, we leverage partners through our Community Grant programme to understand what is needed. For some, it may be providing financial support to Coimbr’a Pedal to help implement a bike bus in the city of Coimbra, Portugal. It might be providing workshops around bike maintenance with COMBA, whose mission is to provide accessible and equitable MTB programming with a focus on BIPOC women and Spanish Language clinics. We also partner with Fietsvrouwen, which focuses on inspiring and motivating women on bikes, young and old. It could be supporting a group like the Bahati Foundation, which is focused on youth empowerment, or the Ubuntu Cycling Foundation, which aims to deliver a school community cycling experience in Rwanda. We use varying pathways to forge connections and champion equity authentically.
For businesses that might feel they lack the resources for major DEI initiatives—if they only had the capacity to change one internal habit this year, where should they start? If resources are limited, I wouldn’t necessarily start by
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PHOTO BY LUCY ROSE JOHNSON
changing a specific policy or habit. Instead, I would begin with building awareness and understanding. Take time to understand where people are, especially how they view diversity and inclusion, their experiences, and their perceptions within the organisation. That insight helps leaders identify real opportunities for improvement and create a thoughtful roadmap rather than implementing changes in isolation. It’s also important to clearly articulate the “why” behind the effort—how it strengthens teams and better serves customers. When people understand the purpose and see how it connects to the organisation’s values, they are much more likely to engage and support the work moving forward.
Editor’s Note: Bridging the Gap In this issue, we’ve looked at the Big Picture with April Marshke and the systemic intentionality behind the SRAM model with Angela Craft-Williams. Both conversations point to a single truth: our industry is at a crossroads. Data from the 2023 Bicycle Association Census shows a
71% retention risk for women, and we have the commercial evidence that diversity drives growth. The 2025 Summit Series in Paris was a turning point, but the real work needs to happen collectively. Whether it’s through sponsorship, auditing our recruitment networks, or simply building a ramp at an event, the how is now within our reach.
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