The recent 11th Women@SIMI event held in Dublin, brought together 200 professional women from various sectors within the Motor Industry to celebrate their extensive contributions and promote networking, stepping out of comfort zones, and embracing opportunities, writes Trish Whelan.
Brenda McCague, Motivator & Transformation Specialist, hosted a panel of speakers including Joanne Somers, Managing Director, Johnsons Ireland; and Aine Denn, Tech Entrepreneur and Co-Founder, Blazer.
SIMI President, Liam Denning, expressed gratitude to sponsor Bank of Ireland for their continued support and highlighted the importance of ‘moving past outdated cultural perceptions, embracing diversity, and supporting career development so that the next generation sees the industry as a viable career path and one where businesses support inclusion’. He added that ‘Women@SIMI provides greater visibility of the changes that are happening for the better’.
Karen Kenendy, Senior Sales and Relationships Manager at Bank of Ireland Finance, emphasised, “As our industry evolves through electrification, digitalisation and changing customer expectations, the need for diverse thinking, fresh perspectives and strong leadership has never been greater.” She added: “The future success of our sector depends on attracting, developing and retaining talented people from all backgrounds, and initiatives such as Women@SIMI have an important role to play in helping make that happen.”
Pictured above are: Guest speakers, Aine Denn, Karen Kennedy; Liam Denning, SIMI President; Brenda McCague, Event MC, and Joanne Sommers.
