Our culture

Life is full of moments that matter — and we’re here for all of them. Our policies go beyond the basics, offering meaningful support when it counts most. From global flexible working principles to our Life Events Policy, we stand by our people through milestones and challenges alike.

By looking after our people in this way, we strengthen our culture of care and create an environment where everyone can thrive and make an impact.

At IMI, innovation isn’t just top-down — it comes from our people. That’s why we created the Growth Hub where colleagues across every discipline and customers come together to test ideas, share expertise, and turn challenges into breakthroughs. It’s part of our culture of curiosity and collaboration, giving everyone the chance to shape solutions that make industries smarter, safer and more sustainable. Since 2018, the Growth Hub has already generated over £100m in new orders — proof of what happens when great ideas meet real opportunity.

At IMI, every voice matters. Through our One Big Voice survey, listening sessions and strong speaking-up culture, we make sure people feel heard and respected. Safety is at the heart of everything we do, supported by our global Think Twice campaign — empowering every colleague to pause, reflect and act safely before every task. Together, this culture of listening, integrity and care keeps our people safe, supported and able to thrive.

In the late 19th century, long before conversations about representation or opportunity in the workplace, a young woman known to us as Mrs McNab was already doing something remarkable at IMI.

Company histories record that she first joined the percussion-cap works as a young girl, one of the earliest female employees on the site. In 1872, at just 22 years old, she was appointed forewoman of the Caps Department – a significant leadership role at a time when manufacturing was overwhelmingly male-dominated and women rarely held positions of authority on industrial sites.

Over the following three decades, her department became one of the most demanding areas of the works. By the 1880s it was turning out hundreds of millions of percussion caps each year, yet the records credit Mrs McNab with an almost spotless safety record in an operation that was, by its nature, hazardous. That combination of output, discipline and care for her team made her a legendary figure in the company’s early history.

She continued in her role for around 30 years, stepping back only briefly when her children were born, before retiring in 1902. At a formative stage in the company’s development, she helped establish a reputation for reliability, responsibility, safety and craftsmanship that would underpin IMI’s growth in the decades that followed.

Her story is a reminder that leadership, talent and ambition have always existed at the heart of IMI – and that progress often begins when someone is trusted with responsibility and rises to it. More than a century later, Mrs McNab remains a distinctive and quietly influential figure in our history.