Automotive News - November 9, 2015 - Supplement - 4W

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11/4/2015

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4W * NOVEMBER 9, 2015

L E A D I N G

W O M E N

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

It's the perfect time
to measure progress,
success of women in
the auto industry

n the fast-paced, ever-changing and increasingly
complex automotive world, there are few moments
when an industry can take stock of progress.
Call it a line in the sand. A moment of reflection. A
measurement of success.
In this Automotive News special section filled
with interesting people and unique experiences of our 100
Leading Women, you'll find exactly that moment in time.
Think about it. Five years ago, the last time we
celebrated 100 powerful and accomplished women,
would you have predicted that a woman would be
running a car company - or that it would be General
Motors?
Or that this time, our list of executives profiled
throughout this 128-page section - from manufacturers
to engineers, dealer principals to designers - would
come from 54 companies.
Or the fact that we have more executives in the CEO role
now. There are six CEOs among automakers and
suppliers on the list, up from two in 2010.
Among the 2015 honorees, 73 have executive officer titles
or are the owners of their companies. That's up from 63.
Another measure of success.
In fact, throughout this section, the examples of success
are as clear as the transformation that has taken place
within the industry.
We have intertwined 100 profiles with an examination
of issues and thought-provoking topics.
A story on a panel discussion we hosted in July talks
about how 10 of our 100 Leading Women feel it's their
duty to mentor and help other women achieve success.
Our story on the post-recession survivors focuses on the
2008-09 upheaval and how our leading women managed
through it - and are stronger because of it.
We also examine the importance of networks and
education.
And that brings us back to the story of Mary Barra.
The GM CEO told us that her career ascent was helped
by an internal GM program called the Affinity Group for
Women, a networking group started in the mid-1990s. Its
mission was simple, as Barra says: "It was asking, 'What
can we do for ourselves? How can we mentor and network
and put the skills in the hands of women earlier in their
careers so they understand what it takes to be
successful?'"
Automotive News hopes to do the same.
On the occasion of our fourth 100 Leading Women
celebration in 15 years, we also are marking a moment in
time. Automotive News will not wait another five years to
talk about successful women in meaningful roles.
Today, we are announcing a new initiative, called the
Automotive News Leading Women Network. Presented
with our partners at Deloitte, Inforum and Ally, the
network will be a community of executives who have a
clear set of goals: to educate, empower and create
opportunities for young women in automotive.
For the almost 300 Leading Women we've named over
15 years, there will be more communication about the
annual network event as the program rolls out in the next
year.
We think this is another sign of
progress. And this is the perfect time
to launch it.
We hope you enjoy this special
section, and we greatly look forward
to an exciting future.

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS 100 LEADING WOMEN

CONTENTS
6W Opportunity knocks, again
After taking a hit during the recession,
leadership prospects for women are on the rise.

10W Advise and support

Leading Women are driven to help
other women to succeed and join them at the top.

16W Inspiration for others

Mary Barra's historic rise to CEO of
GM changes notions of what's possible for women.

17W A place at the table
18W How to get ahead

Aside from GM, auto companies
lag in having women on their boards of directors.

26W Toughened by adversity
Overcoming challenges such as the
recession helped women develop as professionals.

Experts say borrowing some
behaviors from men can help women advance
in the automotive industry.

26W Time for a break

Two female auto execs take time
off to help restore work-life balance.

'It's still a
club'
20W boys'

36W-120W

Industry's image limits its appeal
to women, female execs say.

22W

PROFILES

Gender gap
in retail

Each of this year's 100
Leading Women in the North
American Auto Industry
describes how she got her
start, the challenges
she has met and what
the industry needs
to do to attract
more women.

Dealerships' work hours, pay plans
are turnoffs for
women.

123W

The Network
Roster of 294 execs
named to our Leading
Women lists since 2000

ONLINE

A nearly 2-hour conversation with 10 of our honorees: autonews.com/leadingwomenroundtable

PROFILES OF FOUR LEADING WOMEN
Julie Fream, OESA | Lara Harrington, Honda | Julie Martin, Hella | Kim McCullough, Jaguar Land Rover

autonews.com/leadingwomenvideo

"HAVING HER SAY" VIGNETTES
from 28 Leading Women: autonews.com/leadingwomen
●●●

Jason Stein
Publisher and Editor
Automotive News

C O N T R I B U T O R S
PROJECT LEADER AND SECTION EDITOR Mary Beth Vander Schaaf
DESIGNER Steve Massie
COPY EDITORS Tom Fetters | Patricia C. Foley | Omari Gardner | Elizabeth Hardy | Karen Faust O'Rourke
WEB PRODUCER Shiraz Ahmed

http://www.autonews.com/leadingwomenroundtable http://www.autonews.com/leadingwomenvideo http://www.autonews.com/leadingwomen

Automotive News - November 9, 2015 - Supplement

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