Call to back industry pledge
Businesses and individuals are being encouraged to join a pledge to support women trying to forge a path in the automotive industry.
The call is being made by Women in Automotive, a collective formed to increase the participation and advancement of women in the sector that was officially launched on May 17.
Natasha Callister, a founding committee member and chief commercial officer at MTF Finance, says the organisation has four key pillars to help meet its aims, which are attract, recruit, retain and advance.
“Our mission is to have a co-ordinated and aligned effort to increase the participation of women in automotive through the advancement of women in automotive leadership roles,” she explains.
“We are currently calling on individuals to join the pledge. It is free to pledge and by doing so they are signalling that they stand with women in automotive.
“This is all about us gathering an understanding of our base-of-industry support.
“It is also a joint male-female mission. For us to make an impact and real change we need everybody to come together.”
Partners in the collective at this stage include the Collision Repair Association, MITO – Te Pukenga, the Motor Industry Association (MIA), NZME Driven car Guide and Otago Polytechnic – Te Pukenga.
Callister adds a website was the foundation piece of work for Women in Automotive and was made possible by funding from the Inspiring Futures Foundation.
Following this month’s launch, the group is promoting others to join the pledge and is also seeking sponsors for its next programme of work.
A panel of speakers discussed issues about women in the automotive industry during the event at NZME in Auckland. Callister referenced research showing companies with diverse teams are “more likely to financially outperform those that lack diversity”.
David Storey, co-owner of Auto Super Shoppes, was among the panellists and says employing women in automotive is a smart move.
He explained Auto Super Shoppes has seen increasing numbers of females enter its training academy over the years and it first appointed a women chief executive officer 16 years ago because “we knew we needed someone with a different skill set”.
Simon Rutherford, managing director of Ford New Zealand and MIA president, told guests at the launch that businesses need to be more proactive in promoting women into leadership roles.
“We probably have more women than men at Ford NZ but not enough [women] in the highest ranks,” he said.
“We identify key talent [but] often we don’t move people quickly enough ... We need to signal early to female members that there’s a plan for them because if you don’t, you’re likely to lose them.”
He added that some business structures don’t facilitate such progression but Women in Automotive “is the beginnings to do that. We can show women career paths and actively use it.”
Another panel member was Gina Sim, a national fleet sales specialist at Auto Drive Holdings, which represents Hyundai, Isuzu and Renault.
“When I joined [the industry] it was a little intimidating but I was blessed because I had a female manager who had already carved her way,” she explained.
“Very early in the piece, I learned that my personal brand was what mattered most. A lot of people who have employed me have wanted a female balance in their team and I’m seeing more and more of that in automotive.”
To support the collective’s pledge, visit https://womeninautomotive.nz/#join-the-pledge.
