The historic under-representation of women in the Irish motor industry is changing, President of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry Antonia Hendron told a recent gathering of women in the industry, writes Trish Whelan. The event was the 8th annual Women@SIMI in conjunction with sponsor Bank of Ireland, held in the Conrad Hotel Dublin.
Over 170 professional women from a variety of different sectors within the industry heard experiences and advice from Ms Hendron, guest speaker Louise Grubb of Trivium Vet and serial life science entrepreneur, and guest speaker Norah Casey, journalist, entrepreneur, and human rights campaigner. The event was compered by broadcaster Mary Kennedy.
Louise Grubb urged her audience to be innovative, encouraging of their team, and not to be afraid to take opportunity. Norah Casey spoke of finding internal resilience to move forward and being prepared to create something new and different. Derek McDermott, Managing Director of Bank of Ireland Finance, said good strides are being made for women in both the motor and banking industries, but there is still a long way to go in the whole area of gender diversity and in ensuring that there are strong opportunities for women across both.
Pictured are Louise Grubb, Mary Kennedy, and Norah Casey.
