The Automotive 30% Club has announced the Inspiring Automotive Women 2025 award winners.
Nominations were made through the “Inspiring Automotive Women – Who Inspires You?” LinkedIn campaign that ran in July 2024, and was sponsored by the Lithia UK businesses Evans Halshaw, Stratstone and Jardine Motors Group.
This resulted in 508 nominations, from companies within and beyond the Club members.
Criteria included helping to promote the company as an employer of choice for women, undertaking schools outreach, establishing a D&I or women’s network, mentoring or coaching female colleagues, creating solutions and policies to help women to thrive in the workplace, being a visible female automotive influencer on social media, and raising awareness of intersectionality and underrepresented female groups.
Further criteria included being an inspirational female role model, being a trailblazer in a role usually done by men, inspiring peers to create an inclusive culture, and driving change to ensure female customers are served better.
Winners of the Inspiring Automotive Women 2025 Award include Lynne McBurney (group people director, Arnold Clark), Jessica Montgomery (master technician, Vertu Motors), Justine Rebecca Bates (people director, Group 1), Tracey Newton (Chief People Officer, JCT600), Claire Bell (head of diversity and inclusion, Lithia UK), Nicola Sutherland (people and culture director, Steer Automotive Group), and Vikki Gill (business technical support manager, TrustFord).
All names of winners can be viewed here.
Special Recognition Winners were Erin Banker (editorial director, Auto Trader) and Michelle Breffitt (co-founder, Women Drive Electric). This award recognises efforts to include and communicate with the female EV customer.
The 2025 Automotive 30% Club Founder’s Award recognises efforts to create a female apprentice talent pipeline through schools engagement and inclusive apprentice search programmes. This year’s winner is Nicola Thompson (partnership integration marketing manager, Vertu Motors).
The Automotive 30% Club’s Partner Sponsor is The IMI, and the winners will come together to receive their awards on March 12th in a private ceremony at The IMI Annual Awards Dinner. The overall Inspiring Automotive Woman of The Year Award Winner will be presented with her award.
