- Inaugural Top Women in EV Insights event featuring all-female panels.
- Explored barriers to women’s EV adoption, emphasising communication and safety.
- Discussed fostering inclusivity, visible leaders, and fair recruitment in the EV sector.
Join the conversation with the inaugural Top Women in EV Insights event
Yesterday (7th of March 2024) saw the inaugural Top Women in EV Insights event, kindly hosted by Tesla. This afternoon session showcased two fantastic panel discussions on female representation and engagement in the emobility sector. Topics covered by our all-female line-up of industry leaders included female representation through visible leaders, an adjustment in the way we speak about cars to include women in the conversation, and many more.
The full panel videos will be published on YouTube, so you can watch and engage with the conversation on your own time. Meanwhile, you can catch up with the key points down below.
NO DRIVER LEFT BEHIND
Featuring:
- Erin Baker, Editorial Director | Auto Trader UK
- Stephanie Booth, Senior Manager, Sales Operations EMEA | Tesla
- Julie David, Founder. Strategic Advisor & Executive Coach | Salcombe Quays Advisory
- Gill Nowell, Principal | AFRY
- Moderated by Lindsay Brown, Strategy Director, Global | Green.TV Media
The first panel of the afternoon addressed key barriers to women’s adoption of EVs and proposed strategies for addressing them. Erin Baker emphasized a confidence gap, revealing that 62% of women say they don’t know enough about electric vehicles to buy one. This is a sign of the communications gulf in the industry. We need women in our EV communications to ensure a deeper understanding of women’s lifestyles and requirements during the transition.
Gill Nowell brought attention to safety concerns, specifically focusing on charging at night. She stressed the importance of accessible resources to address these worries and encouraged open conversations to alleviate apprehensions.
Stephanie Booth contributed insights on the significance of pricing for women purchasing EVs. She highlighted that women typically have lower budgets for cars, making them less likely to buy an EV. She emphasised the need to demonstrate the simplicity and convenience of charging. This would contextualise the conversation, so we’re focussing on how this cutting-edge technology works for us. It can fit in with our lifestyles, and even make them easier.
Julie David provided valuable perspectives on the diversity of roles within the automotive sector. She underlined that greater female representation across disciplines could naturally lead to a shift in marketing strategies. Furthermore, the need for respectful and engaging communication during the retail process is paramount. Julie emphasised the value of female voices and understanding in the EV buying process.
The panel advocated for a transformation in marketing language, with Erin Baker urging a bolder and more engaging approach. They stressed the influential role of women in creating content and shaping language to resonate with female consumers, addressing a significant gap in the industry.
The discussion concluded with Erin Baker highlighting concerns about retention and career progression for women in the industry. She cited a lack of flexible working arrangements, which holds back those with external responsibilities. Overall, the panel provided comprehensive insight into the challenges and opportunities in promoting inclusivity in the sector. More importantly, on dismantling barriers for women both working in the EV industry, and those just interested in driving one.
DIVERSITY – CREATING THE CULTURE
Featuring:
- Sian Butcher, Training Manager for the UK, Ireland & Middle East | Tesla
- Danielle Cort, Marketing Director | SWARCO Smart Charging
- Charnjit Saranna, COO & Co-Founder | EZOO
- Sue White, Associate Director | Head of Piper Maddox, eMobility & CleanTech
- Moderated by Lindsay Brown, Strategy Director, Global | Green.TV Media
Sue White initiated the discussion by highlighting that 31% of Piper Maddox placements in the industry were female. She stressed the importance of fostering a welcoming culture for women entering the EV sector. This leads to a key theme of the importance of visible female leaders within the sector. Furthermore, she stressed the need for a fair and balanced recruitment process. The panellists encourage companies to invest in learning how to conduct unbiased interviews. This includes de-gendering job descriptions and even finding new ways of advertising jobs to encourage more women to apply.
Danielle Cort provided insights into the gender split based on specialisation and the challenges faced by women. For example, Marketing departments within emobility are generally closer to a 50/50 men-to-women split. This ratio skews far further from equality in traditionally masculine fields like tech and manufacturing.
Bringing the narrative home, she shared data from the US-based Women of Colour Network. These concerning statistics highlighted that just 18% of the US automotive industry is made up of women. What’s more, just 6% are women of colour. Clearly, there is much to be done in one of the fastest-growing emobility industries in the world.
Sian Butcher advocated for increased visual representation and community engagement. Throughout the day, we heard of several of Tesla’s initiatives to do just that. These included school visits aimed at opening the world of automotive technology to girls. Sian also detailed Tesla’s Future Talent Programme and efforts to neutralise job descriptions.
Charnjit Saranna highlighted the importance of flexible work solutions and seeking candidates with transferable skills for a balanced workforce. Saranna emphasised the need for flexible work solutions to support diversity. She highlighted EZOO’s organisational commitment to mixing up roles and seeking the right candidates. Her approach has fostered a nearly 50/50 gender split within her own organisation.
The “No Driver Left Behind” panel zeroed in on key obstacles hindering women’s adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). The panellists highlighted a confidence gap and called for clearer communication to bridge the knowledge divide. We saw a focus on safety concerns and advocating for accessible resources spaces for women. The main calls from the discussion were for diverse roles in the automotive sector and a more engaging marketing language for women.
The “Diversity – Creating the Culture” panel underscored the imperative of fostering a welcoming culture for women in the EV sector. The panel stressed the importance of visible female leaders and a fair recruitment process with unbiased interviews. They emphasised the importance of flexible work solutions and seeking candidates with transferable skills for a balanced workforce. The panel agreed on the need for industry-wide efforts to address gender disparities and foster inclusivity by recruiting fairly, with visible female leaders at the helm.
Hosting Top Women in EV 2024 on ElectricDrives has been an honour. The campaign continues across the weekend, which means the celebration and positivity will keep rolling in. Keep up with the campaign on our LinkedIn channel. Thank you to all of the panellists and organisers who made this fantastic event possible.
