An automotive industry event has been held to show the importance of attracting and retaining women in the industry.

The event, created by automotive executive search specialists Ennis & Co, was hosted at Aston Martin’s W-1 Park Lane facility in London.

A panel of speakers – senior professional women from the automotive industry and secretary of state for education and minister for women and equalities, Nicky Morgan – discussed the importance of attracting and retaining women in the automotive industry.
 
An audience of some 60 delegates, mostly women, from across the industry, voted on a number of topical questions proposed by both the speakers and hosts. Ennis & Co will publish the results in November.

Minister for Women and Equalities Nicky Morgan said: “Central to our long term economic plan is ensuring that all women should have the chance and skills to succeed in their chosen career and get ahead in sectors like the motor industry.

"This is why we're improving careers guidance and supporting initiatives like the Your Life campaign, which aim to drive up the number of young people studying and pursuing careers in the vital areas of science, technology, engineering and maths.”
 
Ennis & Co Founder Lynda Ennis said: “There is such a commitment from our delegates and speakers to ensure that we continue the good work already begun in the sector that we intend to form a working group to ensure we continue to attract women to the industry.

“We asked our audience at the start and end of the evening how positive they felt that they can make a difference to this, and the good news is that they felt more positive by the end of the night! We intend to ensure this momentum continues.”

A series of questions were asked at the event, here are the questions and results in %.

How positive do you feel that you can make a difference in attracting more women to the automotive industry?
Very positive 32.3%
Fairly positive 44.6%
Neutral/not sure 15.4%
Quite negative 3.1%
Very negative 0.0%
We don't need to attract more women to the industry 0.0%
NA 4.6%
Total 65 responses

In your opinion, which one of the below has the most power to influence the appeal of the automotive industry to women?
Parents and teachers 46.6%
Government 1.7%
Company Boards 0.0%
Internal HR and recruitment teams 0.0%
Everyone, including me 51.7%
Total 58 responses

In your experience, do women and men have different leadership styles?
Yes 90.3%
No 4.8%
Not sure 4.8%
Total 62 responses

Do women’s leadership styles place them at a disadvantage in their career?
Yes 24.2%
No 50.0%
Not sure 25.8%
Total 66 responses

As a professional woman, do you think you have to adapt your behaviours in order to progress in your career?
Yes 76.1%
No 23.9%
Not sure 0.0%
Total 67 responses

In your experience do mixed-gender working teams contribute to a good outcome?
Yes 98.5%
No 0.0%
Not sure 1.5%
Total 68 responses

In your opinion, which ONE of the below “stages” of a career has the most significant impact on gender diversity in automotive?
Early education/school curriculum 46.9%
Further education 0.0%
Modern recruitment methods: Outreach activities, open days, talent networking_, employer branding etc 6.1%
Workplace culture (attitudes, benefits, flexible working) 22.4%
Senior management and boardroom attitudes and culture 24.5%
Nationwide recognition of skills shortages/the need to address this 0.0%
Total 49 responses

In your opinion, how much more do we have to do as an industry to attract more women?
We have a lot to do 87.5%
We have a little bit to do - we're close, but we're not there yet 12.5%
We have little or nothing to do - we are where we need to be 0.0%
Total 56 responses

Are you currently taking specific action to attract more talented women to the business?
Yes 34.5%
No 52.7%
Not sure 12.7%
Total 55 responses

Are you currently taking specific action to retain more talented women in your business?
Yes 43.9%
No 43.9%
Not sure 12.3%
Total 57 responses

When recruiting do you use specific messages or images to increase your company’s appeal to women?
Yes 35.8%
No 49.1%
Not sure 15.1%
Total 53 responses

Do you believe making a flexible working request would jeopardise your career promotion prospects?
Yes 40.7%
No 49.2%
Don't know 10.2%
Total 59 responses

Are you in favour of legislation (e.g. quotas) to increase the number of women on boards of listed companies, as is being seen in a number of European countries?
Yes 19.6%
No 73.2%
Not sure 7.1%
Total 56 responses

Have you analysed why women are under-represented on the board of your company?
Yes 24.6%
No 64.9%
NA 10.5%
Total 57 responses

Do you believe women have to adapt their management style in order to make it to the boardroom?
Yes 48.1%
No 48.1%
Not sure 3.7%
Total 54 responses

In your opinion, how appealing is the automotive industry as a whole to women?
As appealing as it is to men 12.7%
Less appealing than it is to men 70.9%
The same 12.7%
Not sure 3.6%
Total 55 responses

How positive do you feel that you can make a difference in attracting more women to the automotive industry?
Very positive 43.9%
Fairly positive 45.6%
Neutral/not sure 8.8%
Quite negative 1.8%
Very negative 0.0%
Total 57 responses