Research consistently shows that diverse teams outperform, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are significantly more likely to achieve above-average profitability, and more importantly for this sector, they are more likely to innovate effectively. Why? Because innovation in complex systems like emobility is not just technical, it is collaborative, cross-sector, and human. It requires skills that many of these women demonstrate every day:
- Systems thinking across energy, transport, finance, and policy
- High collaboration and stakeholder alignment
- Strong communication to translate complexity into action
- Adaptability in fast-evolving markets
- And the ability to challenge legacy thinking while still delivering commercially
In March, we saw leaders like Kasturi Gomathan (Shell), Stella Li (BYD), Erika Myers (CharIN), Mariem Khemir (ChargePoint), and Lydia Krefta (PGE) shaping innovation at scale, embedding it into global strategy, infrastructure rollouts, and market expansion. Alongside them, operators and transformation leaders such as Laurence Langenbrink (Mer), Katarina Engblom (Plugit), Helen Perry (Nissan), and Zaïnaba El Khald (Ayvens) show what innovation really takes: operational excellence, cross-functional leadership, and the ability to deliver in complex, fast-moving environments.
In June, the spotlight expands to founders, builders, and ecosystem innovators. Leaders like Yasemin Selvi (Alchemy Charge), Nasim Jafari (Future Charging Solutions), Jakobina Junias (Amperra), and Rita Soukkar (LOGIVOLT) are creating entirely new pathways, requiring resilience, commercial acumen, and the confidence to step into uncharted territory. At the same time, innovators within global organisations, including Neha Jain (JSW MG Motor India), Danielle Kerchner (Walmart), Camilla Lundberg (ChargePoint), Julia Poliscanova (T&E), and Manuela Vazquez (Nissan Motor Corporation), are redefining how partnerships, policy, and platforms accelerate adoption, including pioneering work in areas such as V2G and ecosystem integration.
And critically, voices from data, finance, and infrastructure, Claire Weiller (Brisa Mobility), Gabriela Favaron (7Gen), Marianne Frydenlund (Avanci), and Josipa Petrunic (CUTZEB), remind us that innovation is not only technical, but systemic also. What connects all of these women is not just leadership, but their ability to:
- Navigate ambiguity and complexity
- Connect stakeholders across sectors
- Turn strategy into scalable delivery
- Balance commercial realities with long-term transformation
- And ensure innovation creates real world impact
This is what Women Leading EV is about. Not representation for its own sake, but recognising a critical truth: The energy transition will move faster, and smarter, when the people shaping it reflect the complexity of the systems they are building.The pipeline is strong, the impact is global, and this is only the beginning.
