The first week of June kicked off with the World EV Forum’s Future Women Leading EV. campaign, shining a spotlight on leaders across the emobility sector who are helping to drive meaningful change across the world.
Women remain significantly underrepresented across the EV and wider automotive sector. Initiatives such as Women Leading EV. aim to address this by amplifying and celebrating the voices driving the industry forward – whether through work with OEMs, charge point operators, legislators, software firms, and more.
The latest Future Women Leading EV. campaign recognised 34 finalists, each nominated by their peers and colleagues for exceptional contributions across a range of EV industry categories. Read on to meet all 34 finalists, and learn what earned them their nominations – congratulations to each of them.
Categories:
- CPO / EV Network Charging
- Technology and Software
- Charging Infrastructure
- OEM
- Policy, Finance & Advocacy
CPO / EV Network Charging Category
Danielle Kerchner
Senior Manager, Innovations at Walmart
Danielle has built and led Network Operations Centers across multiple EV charging networks and now brings that expertise to Walmart’s rapidly growing charging footprint. Her work focuses on reliability at scale: aligning innovation strategy with incident management, escalation frameworks and customer experience so that chargers are not only installed, but stay online. Nominators credit her with significantly improving uptime and reducing time between failures across networks, using data, process and empathy‑led communication to drive operational excellence. As AI shapes the next generation of charging operations, Danielle is championing the smart tools and cross‑functional collaboration that will make dependable, convenient charging part of the everyday retail experience.
Diane Maffre
Sustainability Manager, Electra
Diane is reshaping what best‑in‑class ESG looks like for rapid‑charging networks. Joining one of Europe’s fastest‑growing CPOs, Diane has led Electra’s science‑based climate strategy from the ground up, securing SBTi validation for ambitious targets: a 42% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 52% intensity reduction in Scope 3 by 2030 from a 2024 baseline. She built the carbon methodology for Electra’s proprietary Electraline stations, integrated ESG into tenders and investor dialogues, and launched internal programmes that elevate ESG literacy and diversity across the business. By turning sustainability into a true commercial differentiator, Diane is helping ensure that Europe’s fast‑charging build‑out accelerates EV adoption and climate impact in tandem.
Isabella Craddock
Senior Manager, Policy and Proposals – Government Affairs, Electric Era
Isabella is redefining how CPOs navigate the complex world of grants and policy. Isabella has become a go‑to authority on federal and state funding for EV charging in the United States, translating dense programme rules into clear, repeatable frameworks that help operators design compliant, fundable projects. She engages directly with agencies and utilities, demystifying requirements and “democratising” knowledge so that not only the largest players can compete for critical infrastructure dollars. Beyond policy and proposals, Isabella also builds community: hosting women‑in‑EV gatherings in Seattle that bring together engineers, policymakers and business leaders to grow a more inclusive charging ecosystem. Her work is unlocking capital, accelerating deployment and elevating women’s leadership across the sector.
Marie Feuk
Regional Director Nordics, E.ON Drive Infrastructure
In a region at the forefront of electrification, Marie is steering E.ON’s charging business across the Nordics, building partnerships and delivery models that make reliable public charging part of everyday life for drivers and fleets. Nominators highlight her role in driving strategic decisions, championing innovation and new technology adoption, and actively supporting women and diversity in emobility. By connecting infrastructure roll‑out with local market needs, Marie is strengthening the Nordic charging ecosystem and helping keep the region at the leading edge of sustainable transport.
Olga Rybakova
Head of Sales and Marketing, VEGA Chargers
Olga is helping turn next‑generation DC fast charging into reality, leading the go‑to‑market for VEGA’s high‑power solutions, including a new 160 kW charger and a jointly developed high‑power system with Huawei that support faster, more efficient charging for networks and drivers worldwide. Her leadership has contributed to VEGA securing major investment, scaling its commercial team, and achieving a leading share in Spain’s DC fast‑charging market while expanding into international territories. As a regular speaker at key mobility conferences, she champions smarter, more scalable infrastructure and brings much‑needed female visibility to a traditionally male‑dominated segment.
Steph Walker
Managing Director – Property, The Electric Vehicle Network
Stephanie brings deep property expertise into the heart of EV charging, turning complex landlord portfolios into live, future‑ready charging sites. Recently, she helped EVN win a significant tender with a major institutional landlord, a huge achievement for a challenger player competing against larger, established CPOs. By combining commercial creativity with strong relationships across the real-estate sector, she has unlocked a “large uptick” in new EV sites that accelerate access to charging for drivers and communities. Colleagues describe her as a natural leader who is tenacious in negotiations, quick to find win‑win solutions, and a powerful champion for women in and around the EV ecosystem.
Terri Logan
Technical Delivery Manager, Zest
Terri has played a pivotal role in delivering fast charger rollouts with London boroughs such as Brent and Lewisham, completing a multi‑year programme that is directly supporting EV uptake, including among ride‑hail drivers who rely on accessible on‑street charging. She has been instrumental in developing on‑street designs and processes that make chargers more usable for local communities and future‑proofed for rapid deployment. Colleagues praise Terri’s ability to explain complex technical concepts in clear, inclusive language and her commitment to standards like PAS 1899, ensuring infrastructure works for people with disabilities as well. With her combination of technical excellence, empathy and advocacy for women in EV, Terri is helping set a new bar for community‑centric charging.
Technology and Software Category
Camilla Lundberg
Director, Strategic Partnerships and Programs, ChargePoint
Camilla’s role is to take big ambitions-like corridor build‑outs or pan‑European fleet electrification-and turn them into funded, delivered programs with clear milestones and KPIs, from uptime and utilisation to customer satisfaction. Internally, colleagues see her as the connector between product, sales, policy and operations; externally, partners rely on her to navigate cross‑border complexity and align multiple stakeholders around a shared plan. She manages to employ multiple skill-sets, working across multiple stakeholders, an impressive balance between tactical and strategic prioritisation. Camilla is also a visible advocate for women in e‑mobility and tech, mentoring colleagues and pushing for diverse teams on the strategic programs she leads, so that the future of EV infrastructure reflects the people it serves.
Carla Treviño
EV Director, Irdeto
Carla has driven real progress toward a truly open, cross‑network Plug & Charge experience by bringing together automakers, CPOs, platforms and roaming hubs around secure, scalable solutions. She treats cybersecurity and certificates not as back‑office plumbing, but as a key enabler of simple, tap‑free charging across borders. Under her leadership, secure Plug & Charge capability has been extended so that around 5 million Plug & Charge‑enabled vehicles in North America and Europe can be reached by any participating e‑mobility service provider, giving drivers a more unified and frictionless experience at scale. She has also helped strengthen roaming and cross‑network connectivity so more drivers can use more stations with less friction – reducing failed sessions and boosting confidence in going electric.
Claire Weiller
Chief Data and Strategy Officer, Brisa Mobility
Claire sits at the intersection of infrastructure, digital services and policy, turning fragmented mobility data from Brisa’s toll roads, service areas and charging locations into insight that helps cities, operators and investors make better decisions. Her work ensures EV infrastructure is not just deployed, but intelligently planned, monitored and optimised over its lifetime, so that chargers go where drivers need them and perform as intended. At Brisa Mobility, Claire leads data strategy across multiple business lines, from tolling and roadside services to charging and connected mobility products, building end‑to‑end decision frameworks rather than isolated dashboards. She champions the use of detailed usage, traffic and energy data to guide where new chargers are deployed, what power levels they require and how they should be operated, linking analytics directly to investment, operations and customer experience.
Josie-Dee Li
Product Director, Einride
Josie-Dee is building the digital and physical foundations that make electric – and soon autonomous – freight actually work day‑to‑day. Josie-Dee describes her mission as “building charging and energy products to decarbonise freight through electrification and autonomy”, and she has shaped her role around that. She works hands‑on with fleet customers to understand their routes, dwell times and power needs, then designs software flows and site experiences that make charging as predictable as fuelling diesel ever was. Because Einride is also a front‑runner in autonomous freight, Josie-Dee’s remit already includes “future‑proofing” sites for driverless trucks. She thinks through what changes when there is no human in the cab – from how vehicles are routed and queued, to how charging connectors, safety zones and monitoring must be designed – and folds those needs into today’s product decisions.
Maren Rehnelt
Managing Director, Evailable GmbH
Since taking the helm at Evailable in July 2025, Maren has led the commercialisation and scale‑up of one of the most advanced AI platforms for EV charging operations, helping charge point operators move from reactive fault‑fixing to proactive, self‑healing networks. Under her leadership, Evailable has rolled out its Operations AI across 80,000 charging points in 16 countries across Europe and the United States, serving CPOs in 14 countries as it scaled. The platform analyses data from more than 10,000 chargers in detail and then automates interventions so that operators see higher uptime, more successful sessions and better asset returns. Impressively, 76% of automated “healing” actions are now proactive, resolving issues before they cause downtime for drivers.
Marianne Frydenlund
VP, Avanci IoT
Marianne leads the expansion of Avanci’s joint licensing programmes into the Internet of Things, and in 2023 she launched the Avanci 4G EV Charger programme to simplify access to essential cellular patents for connected chargers. Instead of manufacturers negotiating dozens of bilateral deals, they can now sign a single agreement that gives predictable, transparent access to a large pool of 4G standard‑essential patents. The impact has been rapid and measurable. From launch in December 2023 with 3 licensees and 43 licensors, the programme has grown to 15 licensees representing 17 brands and 50 licensors by early 2026. In just two years it has reached around 15% market adoption for cellular‑connected EV chargers globally, turning licensing from a barrier into an enabler for scaling smart infrastructure.
Rume Oshenye
CEO, EVC Point Nigeria
Rume is helping build the digital backbone of Nigeria’s EV charging ecosystem. In 2024 she launched ConnectVolt App, one of the country’s first dedicated platforms for mapping and monitoring charging and battery‑swap infrastructure, created to tackle one of the biggest barriers to adoption: drivers simply not knowing where to charge. In just its first phase, ConnectVolt has already mapped over 100 charging and swap stations across Nigeria, bringing together data from more than 30 different network operators and infrastructure providers into a single, searchable interface for drivers, fleets and investors. This work makes Nigeria one of the few African markets with a centralised view of EV charging, directly reducing range anxiety and improving investor confidence in new projects.
Sarah Earl
Head of Product, Corpay
Sarah is at the forefront of building digital tools that make fleet electrification simpler, smarter and more seamless for businesses. Her product leadership helps turn complex charging, payments and reporting needs into intuitive platforms that thousands of drivers and fleet managers can use every day. By connecting real‑world customer pain points with innovative product roadmaps, she is helping accelerate EV adoption across commercial fleets and supporting companies on their net‑zero journeys. Sarah’s work shows how software can unlock new value from every charge and every journey. Sarah shows great agility and experience across both B2B and B2C environments, with a focus on finessing products to significantly improve user experiences, she plays a critical role in increasing driver confidence.
Charging Infrastructure Category
Gabriela Favaron
Director of EV Infrastructure, 7Gen
Gabriela sits at the centre of some of Canada’s most ambitious fleet‑electrification projects. An energy engineer by training, she now leads the design and delivery of large‑scale depot and charging solutions that help fleets move from pilots to fully electric operations. Her work spans technical design, capacity planning and stakeholder coordination, making sure that every project balances power constraints, operations and cost while staying aligned with long‑term net‑zero goals. At 7Gen, Gabriela manages end‑to‑end electrification projects for commercial and municipal fleets, coordinating site assessments, equipment selection, load management strategies and construction. She is known for turning complex depots into practical, phased roadmaps: starting with rightsized power, smart load‑sharing and future‑ready conduit, then scaling up as fleets add more vehicles.
Jakobina Junias
Founding Partner and CEO, Amperra
Jakobina is pioneering EV charging solutions tailored to Namibian realities. Day to day, Jakobina leads everything from route and site planning to stakeholder engagement, working with local authorities, utilities, businesses and communities to map where charging is most needed and how it can be financed and operated sustainably. She focuses on practical, replicable deployments: pilots that prove what works in Namibian conditions, tariff models that local drivers can actually afford, and site designs that take into account safety, lighting, visibility and accessibility for new EV users. She then uses data and user feedback from those sites to refine designs and operating models, so each new Amperra location improves on the last and contributes to a more resilient clean‑mobility ecosystem at home.
Madeline Zhu
Head of Fleet Partnerships, Presto
With a background that spans start-ups and government, Madeline now leads partnerships that help fleets of all sizes access the charging, software and financing they need to electrify operations – with Presto’s charging roaming software. Her focus is on making EV charging not just available, but reliable and “seamless and magical” for drivers and dispatchers, so electrification becomes an operational upgrade rather than a burden. Madeline has already scaled three mobility and infrastructure start-ups, growing software solutions across North America, Australia and Africa, and building commercial teams that solve real problems for travellers and operators across multiple modes of transport.
Melanie Clarance
Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, aetherEV
Since co‑founding aetherEV in March 2023, Mealnie has co-led the business and partnership strategy behind Canada’s first deployment wave of 11.5 kW Arc Plus and 7.6 kW Arc Dwell chargers in high‑traffic sites. Her work is already enabling thousands of EVs per day to charge faster, boosting utilisation and emissions reductions by turning charging from a slow constraint into a competitive advantage. Her impact is reinforced by ecosystem‑level influence. Melanie has helped build relationships with key channel partners for distribution, installation and maintenance, and recruited heavyweight aetherEV Board Members and Strategic Advisors such as former federal minister Peter MacKay and former BC Deputy Premier Kevin Falcon, strengthening aetherEV’s policy and funding credibility for national expansion. She is a visible advocate in forums like Plugin BC’s Zero Emissions Fleet Reconnect 2024 and the Project Arrow ecosystem 2026, pushing for reliable, smart Level 2 networks as a backbone of Canada’s EV transition rather than relying only on DC hubs.
Nasim Jafari
Managing Director and Founder, Future Charging Solutions
Nasim Jafari launched Future Charging Solutions in 2023 with a small family loan capital and it is now estimated at around 427,000 AUD annual revenue and a 1.4 million AUD valuation, operating as a brand‑agnostic provider so clients aren’t locked into a single vendor. Nas focuses on one of Australia’s hardest EV problems: charging in apartments and complex commercial sites. She has designed and implemented EV infrastructure across multiple apartment buildings, commercial properties and mixed‑use developments in NSW, including ultra‑fast DC charging at Calderwood Village Centre with REVELOP. Her solutions use dynamic load management, EV backbone systems and open‑protocol tech so buildings can scale chargers without expensive electrical upgrades – directly tackling the barrier of charging access for apartment residents.
Rita Soukkar
Founder and Development Director, Logivolt
Since 2021, Rita has been at the heart of a model that lets co‑owners deploy shared charging infrastructure with no upfront cost for the building, directly tackling one of the toughest structural barriers to EV adoption in dense housing. Under her leadership the company has now secured over 6,000 co‑ownership assemblies in favour of deploying EV infrastructure, building a nationwide pipeline across thousands of residential buildings. This financing model is enabling home‑charging access for tens of thousands of parking spaces in a segment that represents around 45% of French households, many of whom previously had no viable route to charge at home. Rita’s work is as much about coordination as capital. She has structured strategic partnerships with all major French EV charging operators, and adapted Logivolt’s offer to public incentive schemes such as Advenir, maximising project viability and scalability.
Sarah MacLean
Founder and Principal, Crown Diligence LLC
Sarah MacLean is a project executive and development leader in the US EV charging sector, recognised in her nomination for the depth of her contribution to complex CPO programmes. Her work has centred on helping charge point operators like IONNA define and execute the programme structures they need to scale reliable fast‑charging networks. Nominators describe her as “an integral part of the EV sector, specifically for CPOs”, trusted to make the right calls on how sites are designed, engineered and delivered. Sarah has designed, engineered and permitted “countless” stations, including some of IONNA’s most difficult greenfield sites, where land constraints, grid access and stakeholder complexity are highest. She is credited with developing and delivering the most complex IONNA locations, consistently answering the phone when issues arise and steering teams through to completion.
Yasemin Selvi
CEO and Co-Founder, Alchemy Charge
Through co-founding Alchemy Charge, Yasemin chose one of the toughest corners of the market – strata and multi‑dwelling buildings, where about 16% of Australians live – and built her career around removing the structural and technical barriers that have held this segment back. Colleagues describe her as hands‑on, data‑driven and unusually good at explaining dense technical trade‑offs to non‑technical decision‑makers like strata committees and property managers. As Co‑Founder and CEO of Alchemy Charge, Yasemin led the creation of SmartPoint, a Level 1, OCPP‑compliant EV charging socket designed specifically for shared car parks. Her role has not just been “inventor”, but also systems designer: she pushed for interoperability from the outset so any OCPP‑compatible operator can connect, she insisted the product work on existing building power to avoid major upgrades, and she personally shaped the commercial and installation model so it makes financial sense for strata.
OEM Category
Heba Gebreel Georges
Head of eMobility Sales, Hager Group
Heba drives multi‑country commercial strategy and sales execution for Hager’s EV charging solutions, ensuring that offers like the Witty range scale consistently from homes to semi‑public and commercial sites. Based in France and working across Europe, she is recognised internally as an emerging leader whose outlook has dramatically increased sales across Europe in e‑mobility. In her nomination, colleagues highlight Heba’s ability to connect product, market and partnerships. She has played a central role in Hager’s new semi‑public and commercial eMobility offer, showcased at trade fairs such as The Smarter E, and in structuring collaborations with software and service partners so that Hager hardware can anchor complete charging solutions.
Julia Jenkins
Senior Product Manager, Rivian
Julia is a product leader at Rivian with impressive experience building and shipping consumer products in fast‑paced environments. She has a track record of taking ambiguous problems, defining clear product strategies, and leading cross‑functional teams to launch experiences that customers love. Her background spans entrepreneurship and product management, giving her a mix of zero‑to‑one scrappiness and the ability to scale products within larger organisations. Earlier in her career, Julia founded and grew her own consumer product venture, giving her hands‑on experience with discovery, prototyping, fundraising, and wearing multiple hats across product, operations and growth. This entrepreneurial foundation underpins how she leads today: biasing to action, staying close to users and always looking for the shortest path from insight to shipped value.
Manuela Vazquez
EV Charging Ecosystem Manager, Nissan
Manuela is an EV charging and smart energy leader, working at the intersection of infrastructure, software and commercial strategy. Her experience spans developing business strategies for emerging technologies, leading strategic programmes and negotiations, and building partnership models that turn innovation into scalable services for fleets, site hosts and drivers. Across her roles, Manuela has designed and executed strategies that link EV charging to smart‑energy services such as load management, demand response and behind‑the‑meter optimisation. Her focus is on making infrastructure a value‑generating asset by aligning technical capabilities, business models and partner ecosystems, rather than treating charging as a stand‑alone product. Colleagues and collaborators see her as someone who can read where policy and markets are heading and position organisations early in that shift, which is critical as EVs become more integrated with energy systems.
Neha Jain
Head EV and Innovation Ecosystem, JSW MG Motor India
With over 15 years of experience across mobility, energy, and technology, Neha has played a key role in building one of India’s most comprehensive EV ecosystems – spanning vehicles, charging infrastructure, digital platforms, and circular energy solutions. At MG, Neha has been instrumental in shaping an integrated EV ecosystem and supporting the launch of multiple EV models. She has played a key role in expanding charging infrastructure across homes, communities, cities, and highways, enhancing accessibility and accelerating adoption. She also led the development of eHUB by MG, India’s largest unified EV charging platform, enabling around 1 GWh of clean energy use and targeting 250 million green kilometres. In addition, she has supported initiatives around second-life battery applications under PROJECT REVIVE, promoting sustainable and community-focused energy solutions.
Sarah Tottle
Head of Fleet, Polestar UK
Sarah has spent more than 30 years in automotive helping fleets move from combustion to cleaner, electrified vehicles. In her Polestar role, Sarah leads fleet sales strategy, key account relationships and transition planning for some of the UK’s most demanding fleets. She works with leasing companies, large corporates and public bodies to design EV adoption roadmaps: matching the right mix of Polestar models to duty cycles, TCO constraints and charging realities in each organisation. Sarah has experienced the industry’s pivot from diesel fleet staples to plug‑in hybrids and now pure EVs, and understands first‑hand how residual values, driver acceptance and infrastructure shape every purchase decision. At Polestar she uses that experience to help fleets re‑think policies on company‑car choice lists, charge reimbursement and driver education, so the switch to EVs feels like an upgrade rather than a loss of flexibility.
Sophia Schepers
Sustainability Project House Lead, Audi
Sophia sits at the point where product strategy, ESG and customer experience meet, aligning battery‑electric models with the company’s long‑term climate and circular‑economy goals. In parallel, as Professor of Sustainable Business Management at OTH Regensburg, she uses that front‑line experience to teach the next generation of leaders how to build business models that work within planetary boundaries. At Audi, Sophia leads cross‑functional teams in the e‑tron & Sustainability Project House, turning ESG and circular‑economy requirements into concrete product decisions – everything from lifecycle CO₂ and materials choices to charging concepts and customer journeys.
Policy, Finance & Advocacy Category
Cathleen Lewis
Clean Transportation Programs Manager, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Cathleen’s flagship initiative, Charge Up New Jersey, has been running since 2020 and became so popular that its annual funding was fully exhausted ahead of schedule – a clear sign of the demand she helped unlock. Her approach is practical and consumer-first: the programme applies incentives directly at the point of sale so buyers benefit immediately, rather than waiting for a rebate cheque. “The purpose of the incentive is to motivate individuals who might not otherwise consider purchasing an EV due to cost barriers,” she has said – a philosophy that runs through everything she does. Her work spans the full charging ecosystem, including programmes for multi-unit dwellings to ensure renters and apartment residents aren’t left behind. She also requires networked chargers across all programmes she manages, future-proofing New Jersey’s infrastructure for smart charging and virtual power plant integration.
Josipa Petrunic
CEO, CUTRIC
As President & CEO of CUTRIC, a not-for-profit organisation that spearheads, designs, and launches zero-carbon mobility and transportation projects across Canada, Josipa leads national transportation and energy systems analyses spanning battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and zero-emissions transit technologies. She then launched CUTZEB in 2022/2023 to give transit agencies collective purchasing power to procure turn-key zero emission solutions – buses, chargers, installation, and maintenance as a single package. Her programme work is tangible. Josipa led the Pan-Canadian Zero Emission Bus Initiative, which introduced battery-electric buses in Brampton, York Region, and Vancouver. She also developed Canada’s first electric bus modelling tool – using physics, mathematics, and economics to help transit agencies predict how zero-emission vehicles will actually perform in their specific communities and at what operational cost, giving agencies an impartial, evidence-based alternative to vendor performance claims.
Julia Poliscanova
Senior Director, Vehicles and Emobility, Transport & Environment
Since joining T&E in June 2015, Julia has led the organisation’s work on vehicles, electrification, and battery supply chains across Europe. Her portfolio spans EU vehicle CO2 standards, sustainable batteries, critical raw materials, and e-mobility policy – sitting at the very heart of the continent’s clean transport transition. Her policy impact is tangible and historic. Julia was instrumental in the EU agreeing its first-ever sustainable battery law, the Critical Raw Materials Act, and the landmark commitment to zero emission cars only in Europe from 2035. In 2023, she was named one of POLITICO’s top 40 EU influencers.
Laura Jones
Energy Systems Specialist, ANU Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program
With over two decades of experience spanning transmission and distribution network planning, grid management, V2G, home energy storage, and the circular economy, Laura brings a rare and powerful combination of engineering rigour and social science insight to the energy transition. Currently an Energy Systems Specialist at the ANU Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, Laura leads multi-disciplinary socio-techno-economic analysis – making impactful research happen at pace. A founding example of her action-first philosophy? Co-founding the Circular PV Alliance to tackle Australia’s looming solar panel waste crisis – because she saw a gap and did something about it. She has also spent over seven years mentoring the next generation of energy entrepreneurs at EnergyLab.
Yoomin Lee
Transport Analyst, World Bank Group
Yoomin’s standout achievement at the World Bank Group has been to pioneer a direct policy dialogue with Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on how EV adoption can improve the livelihoods of informal transport workers – a conversation no international institution had previously initiated with the regulator on this topic. Through rigorous fieldwork in Nairobi, combining GPS telemetry, platform data, and driver surveys alongside data partnerships with local OEMs ArcRide and Roam, she produced the first quantitative evidence linking EV business model design to driver productivity, earnings, and pathways to asset ownership. On the investment side, she built the core thesis and origination pipeline for a major blended finance e-mobility equity vehicle at the World Bank Group – one of the largest dedicated EV instruments across multilateral development banks.
