Leading the Charge: How Akkodis and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team turn Talent Into Performance
From 4,000 applicants to a 35% cut in food waste — inside the Akkodis program powering sustainability at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team.
6 minutes
22nd of July, 2026
Since 2022, Akkodis and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team have built a partnership rooted in technology, innovation and sustainability. At its core sits Lead the Charge — a global talent program delivering measurable impact.
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Why Akkodis built Lead the Charge with purpose
Akkodis is a founding member of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team’s sustainability working group, and the partnership extends a collaboration that began with the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team. Lead the Charge was designed into it from the outset.
We built it in from the very start. It was important on both sides to foster STEM careers. The partnership itself is about the intersection of technology and innovation, and we have a large global audience of talent we want to attract, this was a natural fit.
Maria Bergving — Global SVP Brand and Marketing, Akkodis
The program offers selected candidates a paid internship at the team’s Brackley headquarters, developing sustainable solutions that support operational and environmental goals. As F1’s 2026 power unit regulations shift the sport toward a near 50/50 combustion-electric split, that sustainability remit has only sharpened.
“When we started, the link between sustainability and motorsport was still emerging,” says Jasmin Opel, VP Global Brand, Partnerships and Audience Engagement at Akkodis. “Today it’s firmly established. Through this program, we’ve actively supported that shift.”
Assessing global talent: 4,000 applicants, 99 countries
Akkodis’ global network has been critical in sourcing talent at scale, attracting more than 4,000 applicants from 99 countries in the last program cycle.
“We worked closely with Akkodis to define the ideal candidate profile,” says Alice Ashpitel, Head of Sustainability at the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team “Sustainability in this context is highly technical — it requires strong analytical capabilities to turn data into actionable insight.”
Sustainability in this context is highly technical — it requires strong analytical capabilities to turn data into actionable insight.
Alice Ashpitel | Head of Sustainability, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team
Candidates range from university students to early-career professionals. The selection process combines technical and behavioral assessment: shortlisted candidates progress through virtual assessment centers, solving complex challenges in real time, before final interviews focused on motivation, mindset and long-term potential.
As the process progresses, the differences become more visible. “Beyond strong CVs, what distinguishes candidates is curiosity, energy and a genuine desire to make an impact,” Ashpitel notes.
There isn’t a single pathway into sustainability. What matters is analytical capability and the ability to apply it across contexts — a principle that runs through Akkodis’ wider approach to emerging STEM talent.
Meet the Charge Leaders behind the results
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Shreyas Raman
Team Principal Consultant
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Maryam Shaban
Sustainability Project Consultant
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Kim Quaghebuer
Sustainability & Environmental Consultant
The first Lead the Charge candidate, Shreyas Raman, joined the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team in 2022 as Team Principal Consultant. He was followed by Maryam Shaban (Sustainability Project Consultant) and Kim Quaghebeur (Sustainability and Environmental Consultant), who later transitioned into a full-time role with the team. To date, three candidates have completed the program.
Their backgrounds span policy, mechanical engineering, renewable energy and motorsport. What unites them is not a profile but a mindset: analytical, adaptable, and driven to perform in a high-performance environment.
Case study 1: Cutting commuting emissions by over 10%
For a Formula One team, carbon impact extends far beyond race day. More than a thousand employees travel daily to the Brackley technology centre, and limited public transport infrastructure makes this a structural challenge. Commuting represents a surprisingly large share of the team’s emissions profile — in some instances exceeding the impact of on-track activity.
Lead the Charge identified an opportunity to reduce emissions through behaviour change: enabling employees who live close together to share journeys, cutting vehicle usage while removing access barriers for those without transport.
Maryam Shaban led implementation of a lift-sharing scheme with an external provider, spanning program design, internal communications, rollout and ongoing engagement. In its second year, Kim Quaghebeur took over, refining and scaling the initiative.
Result: a reduction of more than 10% in commuting-related emissions, supported by strong employee participation.Success here depended on sustained engagement rather than a purely structural fix. “It requires working closely with individuals to find approaches that fit with how people actually work and perform at their best,” Ashpitel notes.
Case study 2: Reducing food waste by 35%
The team’s on-site catering operation is essential to daily performance — but also a source of inefficiency. Initial observation showed consistently high waste volumes with limited understanding of the underlying drivers.
Working with the catering team, program participants analyzed consumption patterns, improved meal forecasting and reviewed portioning. These changes were paired with clear internal communication so employees understood the adjustments and adapted accordingly.
Result: a 35% reduction in food waste, achieved through data-driven decision-making, cross-functional collaboration and targeted engagement.The broader principle: effective sustainability work depends not only on identifying inefficiencies, but on translating insight into practical change across teams. As Ashpitel highlights, success often comes from “understanding different teams and finding solutions that meet sustainability targets without compromising performance.”
Sustainability as a driver of competitive performance
Within Formula One’s cost-capped environment, sustainability is increasingly embedded in performance thinking rather than treated as a parallel priority. Efforts to improve efficiency — from reducing waste to optimizing resource use — have direct competitive impact under FIA financial regulations.
At its core the relationship is simple. “Sustainability is about efficiency, and efficiency is about performance,” Ashpitel notes, underlining how environmental progress and operational advantage have become closely linked. Sustainability is about efficiency, and efficiency is about performance.
Alice Ashpitel | Head of Sustainability, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team
Akkodis in action: technology and talent, combined
A consistent theme has been how quickly scope expands. What begins as a defined brief grows as candidates identify further opportunities across the organization. Kim Quaghebeur’s transition into a full-time role — spanning engineering, sustainability and cross-functional engagement — reflects that trajectory.
“Every collaboration we have with the team is valuable,” says Bergving. “But this one is particularly aligned with our mission: to boost STEM careers and support the next generation of technology, engineering and sustainability.”
The program brings to life what Akkodis calls powered by Akkodis Intelligence — combining deep technology expertise with the right talent to create measurable impact.
While Lead the Charge stands out as a flagship initiative, it reflects a much broader capability. “The Lead the Charge candidate is one example out of many,” says Opel. “We’re doing this every day — opening doors, connecting the right people with our customers, and applying technology to real challenges.”
The Lead the Charge candidate is one example out of many. We’re doing this every day — opening doors, connecting the right people with our customers, and applying technology to real challenges.
Jasmin Opel | VP Global Brand, Partnerships and Audience Engagement, Akkodis
Akkodis applies the same model beyond motorsport, from Girls Who Code partnerships to university STEM engagement.
Looking ahead: Lead the Charge 2.0
Lead the Charge enters a new chapter in 2026. Lead the Charge 2.0 expands beyond sustainability, giving one successful candidate a four-week internship across multiple Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team departments — including Data Analytics, Sustainability, Marketing Operations and Applied Science.
Designed to showcase how performance is built through technology, data and collaboration, it offers hands-on experience in one of the world’s most advanced engineering environments.
Learn more about Akkodis Lead the Charge →
Frequently asked questions
What is Akkodis Lead the Charge?
Lead the Charge is a global sustainability and talent program run by Akkodis with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. It offers a paid internship at the team’s Brackley headquarters, where the selected candidate applies data analytics and technology to advance the team’s sustainability roadmap across a Formula One World Championship season.
Who is Lead the Charge designed for?
The program is aimed at graduating students and early-career technology professionals with a technical background and a demonstrated passion for sustainability and motorsport. Backgrounds have ranged from mechanical engineering and renewable energy to environmental policy — there is no single required pathway.
How does the Lead the Charge selection process work?
Selection combines technical and behavioral assessment. Applicants progress through virtual assessment centers where they solve complex challenges in real time, followed by final interviews focused on motivation, mindset and long-term potential. The last cycle drew more than 4,000 applicants from 99 countries.
What results has Lead the Charge delivered?
Program participants have delivered a reduction of more than 10% in commuting-related emissions at the team’s Brackley site through a lift-sharing scheme, and a 35% reduction in on-site food waste through improved forecasting, portioning and employee engagement.
What is new in Lead the Charge 2.0?
Launching in 2026, Lead the Charge 2.0 broadens the experience beyond sustainability. The successful candidate undertakes a four-week internship rotating across Data Analytics, Sustainability, Marketing Operations and Applied Science within the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team.
What is Akkodis Intelligence?
Akkodis Intelligence is how Akkodis describes its combination of deep technology expertise with the right talent to create measurable client impact. Lead the Charge is a public demonstration of that model in a high-performance environment.