I’m especially excited about this month’s issue. In addition to the great content contributed by fantastic industry insiders, we are presenting our first Women at the Wheel awards! Our Women at the Wheel program was created to highlight today’s top female professionals who are leading the charge across the automotive industry.
We opened nominations just a few months ago, and we received many incredible submissions. The glowing reviews from the nominators (both male and female) made it difficult to choose amongst them.
After announcing the winners, we asked each of them four questions:
1. What is the proudest accomplishment of your career thus far?
2. What is your best advice to other women who want to excel in the automotive industry?
3. What are some of the ways you have seen the industry support women?
4. What is one thing the industry could do better/differently to support women?
And, as we know, women like to talk — especially about this industry! But since we couldn’t fit all of their great insight onto a few pages, you’ll find more in our online post HERE.
I wanted to share a few of the women’s advice and comments that were not to be missed…
“Focus on listening and always being open to learning from everyone else in the room,” says Edvie Castro, the general counsel and chief operating office for DOWC. “Success is multifaceted and means little without consistent growth. Be ready to demonstrate your passion and your ability to drive positive change.”
“We are beautiful, multifaceted creatures,” says Robin Hill, Hendrick Lexus of Charlotte, sales executive. “However, we have not abandoned being wives and mothers, and we have different needs than our male counterparts.”
“Remember you are your own brand,” says Kimberly Cowan, the CEO of Kymeera, Inc. “The way you present yourself should be intentional, and you should never expect respect to come lightly. Focus on being a talented person who happens to be female — not a female who happens to be talented.”
“Preparation is key to making a right decision,” says Kathy Gilbert, senior director, minority dealer and women retail for CDK Global. “When you’re prepared when opportunities present themselves, you can select the right one for you and let go of the ones that don’t align.”
We hope these women inspire not only our female readers but the men as well, to strive for excellence and to have more fulfilling careers in this exciting industry.
We look forward to celebrating even more leading ladies next year!
