Winners 2025

Vehicle development 2025

Nash Vracas joined Aston Martin in March 2024 after progressive roles at JLR, Vorteq and the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association. In line with her impressive qualifications, including a PhD in engineering from the University of Southampton, she has delivered impressive results throughout her career, including achieving a sub-0.30 Cd for the current Range Rover – the lowest for a luxury SUV in the market. At Aston Martin, Vracas leads vehicle programmes from pre-product strategy to production, overseeing surface development with design teams and managing key milestones. Her innovative CO2 reduction methods for WLTP compliance have proven invaluable across multiple vehicle architectures. Her nomination also highlighted the time she overcame a recurring communication issue between teams by introducing improved data visualisation techniques and interactive tools.

Vehicle development 2025 nominees

Hannah Allonby, JLR

Moving from her role as avionics technician in the British Army, Hannah Allonby joined JLR in 2018, where she has advanced from electrical programme manager to her current role of managing localisation projects and bespoke paint plants. Her qualifications include Agile group scrum master, Six Sigma and Level 4 avionics electrical engineering and currently she oversees the end-to-end process for the Defender and Discovery model years while implementing builds globally. Allonby has successfully delivered Defender models from 2020 to 2025, including special editions such as the V8 Bond, Octa and 75th Edition, with early builds and 100% on-time achievement. During the semiconductor shortage, she reduced their usage while minimising customer impact and improved automation in JLR’s Nitra plant by rewriting processes.

Ana Beattie, DRVN Advanced Engineering

Ana Beattie joined luxury automotive company DRVN in 2023 after beginning her career at Individual Specialist Cars. In her role, she oversees prototype vehicle builds from concept to completion. As key coordinator between DRVN and Callum Design, Beattie managed the Evoluto Ferrari 355 prototype, crafting its interior while making sure it was ready for its 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed debut. Now spearheading engineering vehicles for Boreham Motorworks, another DRVN company, she balances technical precision with creative vision. Her dedication extends beyond regular hours and she often works weekends and overnight to meet critical deadlines while maintaining exceptional quality standards. Paul Higginson, director of engineering, said: "Ana has been an incredible driving force behind our most important projects. Her meticulous planning and hands-on approach ensured we delivered the 355 on time, which was no small feat."

Kiana Izadi, McLaren Automotive

While studying for a mechanical engineering degree at the University of British Columbia, Kiana Izadi had three internships at Tesla. She graduated in 2023 and then relocated from Canada to London to pursue her supercar design ambitions. Since joining McLaren Automotive in January 2024, she has contributed to the creation of multiple components for the McLaren W1 hypercar. Leveraging her Matlab expertise, Izadi developed an innovative way to enable the bodywork to run closer to the wheels, enhancing both aerodynamics and aesthetics. Beyond her design role, she demonstrated exceptional leadership by supervising the procurement, manufacturing and assembly of a new test rig for the W1 project. According to her nomination from McLaren principal chassis engineer Paul Henry: "Kiana has shown remarkable versatility and initiative since joining us, quickly becoming an integral part of our chassis team while bringing fresh perspectives.”

Chiara Onida, Ford Motor Company

Following creative leadership roles at Panasonic, Franklin Till and Maynard Design, Chiara Onida joined Ford in 2020 and now oversees human-centred innovation. Her ability to translate customer insights into breakthrough products spans multiple vehicle programmes, where she champions solutions that extend beyond traditional automotive boundaries. Onida excels at bridging customer needs with corporate objectives, challenging conventions despite entrenched perspectives. Her commitment to sustainability and systems thinking inspires colleagues, while her rapid prototyping approach brings concepts to life tangibly. "Chiara is an exceptional role model,” said Robert Stevenson, Ford product design director. “She deeply invests herself in customer perspectives and quickly spots opportunities that lead to breakthrough products."

Robyn Spence, Horiba MIRA

Robyn Spence joined the automotive testing company as a graduate engineer in September 2019 and progressed to her current role of project engineer in July 2023. With a master’s degree in mathematics, she provides consultancy to car companies and tier one suppliers in the emerging field of functional safety for automotive electrical and electronic systems. Her achievements include developing validation tests for ADAS features, analysing automated valet parking systems and conducting functional safety analysis for luxury hybrid electric vehicles. "Robyn has been unphased by the steep learning curve and has developed greatly in knowledge and confidence through each project," noted her manager, James Edwards, in her nomination. "It has been impressive to see how she has come into engineering with a mathematics degree and applied herself to her chosen career." Spence is currently pursuing a master’s in systems engineering at Loughborough University with the aim of becoming a chief engineer and subject matter expert.

Erin Wootton, JLR

Erin Wootton joined JLR via an undergraduate placement starting in 2019 before becoming a graduate engineer in 2022 and quickly advancing to component engineer in September 2024, where she works within chassis engineering on fully active suspension systems. With a first-class degree in mechanical engineering, she has quickly established herself through her technical curiosity and collaborative approach. Beyond her engineering role, Wootton leads the career progression working group for the Women in Engineering And Allies Network. Her ‘Level Up’ campaign increased female management representation from 12% to 14% and was awarded Best DE&I Innovation at the Women Automotive Awards 2024. "Her passion for engineering and appetite for growth is fantastic, which she willingly shares alongside her experience to help new graduates and degree apprentices," said JLR chief engineer Nicola Clegg.