Chair of the judging panel and managing director of Haymarket Automotive, Rachael Prasher, added: “I’m delighted to see how much the quality of our entrants improves each and every year when we come to judge this initiative, perhaps best seen with just how much the top Executive category has grown. It’s a fantastic sign of the health of our industry and the breadth of talented women working in it in ever-more senior and influential positions.
SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said: “These awards recognise the exceptional women leading our industry, leaders who will inspire future generations to see automotive as an exciting and rewarding sector. The competition for the Great Women initiative gets ever tougher, and the breadth and depth of talent in this year’s list, in every discipline, from design and engineering, to marketing, sales and board room, shows the progress the sector is making.
“Of course, there’s still a long way to go to address gender and other imbalances and future success will depend on our ability to attract many more talented people from all backgrounds into our top jobs.” This year’s event was held in Euston Square, London, and included a panel debate with Alison Jones, Julie David from Peugeot and Mandy Dean from Ford. Jessica Hawkins, a driver ambassador from Aston Martin, and Britishvolt’s chief strategy officer, Isobel Sheldon, were also interviewed as part of the awards celebrations.