Autocar has opened nominations for its Great Women in the British Car Industry initiative, which will culminate in an awards ceremony and thought-provoking event on 4 June in London.
Run by Autocar, in association with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and judged by a panel of automotive experts, the initiative recognises the top 100 women leading the way across the UK’s car industry.
In 2018, former Citroën CEO Linda Jackson was named the most influential British woman in the automotive industry. Last year, the awards celebrated rising stars in the industry. Emma King, who is at the forefront of Ford’s $11bn investment in electric vehicles through a senior role in purchasing, was crowned the winner.
Autocar and its panel of judges will recognise an overall winner, as well as leaders across key industry categories including Executive, Operations and Vehicle Development.
The top 100 will be chosen based on their seniority and level of influence and will be announced at a ceremony, along with the overall winner, during the event on 4 June.
Supported by Bentley, Nissan and Toyota, the day will also include presentations from keynote speakers (soon to be announced), a panel debate and a networking session.
Haymarket Automotive managing director Rachael Prasher, who heads the initiative’s judging panel, said: “We are all so proud to be entering the fifth year of our initiative to shine a light on the best and brightest women in the UK’s automotive industry.
“Over the past five years, I have been delighted to see a huge increase in the number of opportunities, which has in turn allowed women to excel further across all key industry sectors. This year we’re excited to once again recognise the female leaders who are making waves in the industry, and we look forward to getting to know the wealth of talent from this year’s nominations.”
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “We are proud once again to be working alongside Autocar to recognise the achievements of the best and brightest in the business. With rapid developments in electrification, digitalisation and AI, there has never been a more exciting time to work in automotive, and we believe this initiative is playing an important role in inspiring even more talent from across all backgrounds and genders to join us in shaping the future of mobility in the UK.”
The top 100 will be selected from the following 10 areas of the car industry: Aftersales and workshop, Executive, Marketing, Manufacturing, Operations, People development, PR and comms, Sales, Vehicle development, and Mobility and digital. A winner will be selected in each category, with the overall winner then chosen from that list.
In addition to the top 100 leading women in the British car industry, there is a category for apprentices that celebrates new talent at the beginning of their career in the sector.
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