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A day full of energy and honest insights
Three masterclasses in the morning, even before the opening speech, ensured a motivating start to the day. Topics included work-life balance, female leadership and how AI is changing mobility.
Following the welcome by Maya Rooz, Women Automotive Network (WAN), Melanie Schuttenberg from TAJCO and Dr Kamila Klug from Altair presented the new WAN book ‘Women Driving Progress’. Schuttenberg emphasised: ‘Women's rights are not set in stone, they have to be defended.’ She currently feels that society is taking a step backwards when it comes to women's rights and equality. Her recommendation to the audience, which was predominantly female with a few men, was: ‘Build a network, pass on your experiences in mentoring programmes. It is especially important for the younger generation to see that women are shaping the future of the automotive industry.’ In her speech, Dr Klug gave the career tip of setting a long-term goal and assessing all upcoming tasks according to whether they serve to achieve this goal or not. If not, they should be delegated.
In the subsequent keynote speech, 24-year-old racing driver Sophia Floersch talked about her dream of making it to Formula 1. Floersch has been pursuing her goal for a long time. She was already driving race cars four years before she even had her driving licence. As the first and only woman in Formula 3 and 4 races, she has repeatedly found that as a woman in the male-dominated world of motorsport, she is not taken seriously. But she is not deterred by this, quite the contrary. She emphasised that, in her view, women and men are equal in motorsport. ‘In racing and in life, it's about rewriting the script, owning your space, empowering each other to push beyond limits.’
The presentation by Sophie D'Herbomez from AlixPartners on the fierce competition among electric car manufacturers in China was also very impressive. The price war there is causing EV prices to fall steadily, leading global players to withdraw from the country.
Panels on leadership, innovation and self-reflection
A particular highlight was the panel discussion entitled ‘A Leadership Exchange: How to get a seat at the table and succeed as a leader amid turbulent times?’, which summed up the current challenges for women in the industry. The panel consisted of Maren Gräf from Skoda, Maria Grazia Davino from BYD Europe, Sabine Scheunert from Dassault Systèmes and Emanuelle Bischoffe-Cluzel from Capgemini. When asked what advice she would give her younger self today, Sabine Scheunert said: ‘Don't worry so much. Be courageous, be bold, believe in yourself.’ Maria Grazia Davino added: ‘Don't put yourself under too much performance pressure. Enjoy the journey, look for challenges. You are empathetic, you have that specific wisdom, that's not your weakness, that's your strength.’
This was followed by inspiring insights into the Women Automotive Network's mentoring programme, which promotes the exchange of experiences between emerging talents and established executives.
An afternoon full of exchange and future prospects
Various interactive workshops focused on topics that are important to the participants and the industry: change processes, innovation, self-confidence and leadership responsibility.
In the main session, executive coach Romana Prochazkova challenged participants in ‘Never Say Never’ to question their own thought patterns – from self-doubt to unconscious prejudices – and thus clear the way for new goals and the next step towards personal development. At the same time, experts and industry representatives highlighted topics such as open source in mobility, change management, product liability and the balancing act between hardware and software in a changing industry.
In subsequent sessions – including ‘Opening the Dialogue: From Awareness to Action’ with Judith Diem and Bernd Grube (Bosch) – it became clear how important it is for managers to create a space for employees where open dialogue and psychological safety are guaranteed, so that real change can take place. The official programme ended with discussions on the opportunities and challenges for women in the volatile automotive market and a high-profile panel discussion on international cooperation (‘Collaboration Without Borders’). The event concluded with a networking cocktail reception – a lively end to an intense day that made one thing clear: the automotive industry is undergoing change – and women are actively shaping that change.
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