The Automotive 30% Club has welcomed Zuto chief executive James Wilkinson as the latest addition to its membership as it continues to drive towards a greater female representation in the automotive sector.

The car finance broker was recently certified as a B Corp organisation and said in a ststment that it sees membership as being closely align to its aim of balancing “profit with purpose, upholding a high standard of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance”.

Today, 43% of Zuto’s management team identify as women, which is more than double the average number of female executives at other fintech firms (19%), it said. 

Wilkinson said: “I’m thrilled to be working with the Automotive 30% Club as their latest member, a fantastic and much-needed initiative for our industry.

“We all share the same vision of bridging the automotive sector’s gender gap, which has persisted for far too long.

“I’m confident that we, as a collective, will exceed in achieving our goal of creating an industry that champions gender diversity.”

Earlier this month the Automotive 30% Club celebrated the success of women who work within car retail groups Jardine, JCT600, Lookers, Marshall and TrustFord as it announced the winners of its annual Inspiring Automotive Women Awards.

A network of MDs and CEOs from the UK’s automotive sector, the group was established in 2019 by Gaia Innovation founder and AM Awards judge Julia Muir.

Member organisations have made a commitment to award at least 30% of their senior leader positions to women by 2030.

Muir said: “I'm very pleased to welcome Jim Wilkinson, CEO of Zuto, to the Automotive 30% Club. Zuto matches car buyers to a finance package that’s right for them and has a progressive company culture.”

Wilkinson said that he hoped to work closely with fellow members of the Automotive 30% Club, and Muir to devise new ways of improving gender parity in the automotive sector, not only on Zuto’s senior leadership team, but in boardrooms across the country.

Muir will also work closely with Mary Beighton, Zuto’s director of people and culture and one of four female directors at the company.

Muir said: “I look forward to collaborating with Jim and Mary Beighton, the 30 by 30 leader, to take action to increase diverse female representation and truly Change the Game in the automotive industry."