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International Women's Day - Women who are in the driver's seat of auto industry

Today on International Women's Day, we present to you women who are leading the way in an industry which is always considered a male dominated arena.
She is the first woman to run a major auto maker. 54 year old Barra held the CEO position in 2014.

She was listed as one of the world's most powerful women by Forbes, for the third time, in 2014.

Barra in an interview said, "One of the biggest things I have learned is how important it is to other people that I am a woman. But now, I realise that this is as normal as revolutionary and inspiring for others."

Photo Courtesy: forbes.com
Padmasree Warrior is the CEO of US for NextEV, an electric vehicle company and was called the "Queen of the Electric Car Biz" by Fortune magazine.

She is the former Chief Technology & Strategy Officer (CTO) of Cisco Systems.

As of 2014, she is listed as the 71st most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
45 year old Motwani first joined Kinetic in 1996, and since then she made the company to what it is now.

From being a moped manufacturer it has set its foothold in the industry as a manufacturer offering a complete range of two wheelers right from mopeds, scooters to motorcycles.
57 year old Srinivasan, in a span of 25 years, established TAFE as a mass manufacturer of tractors. In January 2014, the Government of India conferred her with ‘Padma Shri’ for her contribution to Trade and Industry.

With her special emphasis on product development, she has ensured significant expansion of TAFE’s product range.
In 2005, Singh joined her family business. For her it was never a difficulty in adjusting in a male dominated sphere. "I don't find it a disadvantage. Rather, I've found being a woman, displaying patience, perseverance and a firm resolve, an iron fist in a velvet glove, an advantage," says Singh.

Singh is a co-author of "Ranthambhore - The Tiger's Realm" along with Jaisal Singh & Priyanka Gandhi Vadra which was published in 2011.
Marwah is the Managing Director of auto component manufacturer Subros. She joined Subros in 2000.

She is a critical part of the change management process in Subros and is responsible for strategy formulation and deployment.
Dr Lakshmi Venu heads the Automotive Products Division of Sundaram Clayton (TVS Group). She also holds an executive position as Director of Tafe Motors and Tractors (Amalgamations Group).

She is the daughter of Venu Srinivasan(TVS ) and Malllika Srinivasan (Tafe ).

In her role as an entrepreneur Lakshmi Venu believes that speed of change in today’s business world will compel innovation and adaptability as she seeks to create a new way forward in these businesses.
The Honda NSX, marketed in North America as the Acura NSX, is a sports car first manufactured in 1990. The second generation of Acura NSX was first unveiled in 2015 Detroit Auto Show.

It was designed by Michelle Christensen. It was in 2012 that she was given the charge to design the car.

In her own words she said "The key was to go crazy building up the design, and then start taking away things that didn’t need to be there."
26 year old Abdullah, a motorbike racer, was drawn to go-karting from an early age of nine. She was winning go-karting races by the time she was eleven.

When she was just 13 years old, she won the MRF National Go-Karting Championship and the Best Novice Award in the National level Formula Car Racing in the open class.

She is currently with Volkswagen India.
The 28-year old Yumi Takechi is the one and only master craftswoman behind Nissan Motors's costliest supercar GT-R. Part of the clean room at Nissan's Yokohama plant in Japan, building the engine of the car is essentially the responsibility of a Takumi, or master craftsman.

Takechi is not yet a Takumi - she is an associate - but is on track to become one. She is the first woman who has cleared seven levels of tough tests to qualify to be one of the master craftspeople, a position that commands great honour at the company.
Hardy joined the BMW Group in 2001 as part of the original MINI USA launch team.

In her current position, she is responsible for all marketing communication and product planning for the BMW brand in the United States.

Over the course of her 20 year career in automotive, Hardy has received a number of distinguished honours ranging from Gold Lions and Gold Effie awards, to being named one of AdWeek Magazine’s 2014 Brand Geniuses.
The 25 year old Formula 4 racer Sneha Sharma is not only the fastest woman racer in the country, she is also a pilot with Indigo Airlines.

She had a passion for speed and machines from an early age of 16.

In 2009, Sharma earned the tag of India's fastest woman racer in the Mercedes Young star driver programme: she secured 6 race victories and 9 runner-up position and karting.

In 2015, she finished in the 11 position at the Formula 4 event, and was one of the two women competing.

Text & Photo Courtesy: huffingtonpost.in
Singh is the Marketing Director of Indian arm of American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson. She joined the company in 2013.

She once said in an interview, "Women are natural multi - taskers as required in marketing."
Hasenfratz is the Chief Executive Officer of Canadian auto parts maker Linamar Corporation.

In 2014, she was named Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year - the first woman to hold the national title in the event’s 21-year history.

She took over the role from her father in 2002 and since then she transformed the family business into a global player.
She never headed any automobile company. However, her name is indispensable in this list. Invented modern day "turn signal", and "brake lights".

She was a well known Canadian-American actress during 1910s. Although she wasn’t the first person to develop a turn signal, she was one of the pioneers of the idea. Her turn signal was a mechanical arm that lifted a flag on the rear of the car. She also developed a mechanical brake signal that unfolded a “stop” sign from the back bumper when the brake was pressed.
Elena A. Ford leads the company’s Global Dealer and Consumer Experience, a team designed to accelerate the simplification and streamlining of Ford’s interaction with customers inside dealerships and at auto shows around the world.

Ford’s achievements include leading the development and global launch of Ford’s global brand promise: Go Further.

Ford joined the company in 1995. Twice she has been named among the leading women in the auto industry by Automotive News.
Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver.

She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing—her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only women's victory in an IndyCar Series race and her third place in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 the highest finish there ever by a woman.
Bertha Benz was a German automotive pioneer. She was the wife and business partner of automobile inventor Karl Benz.

In 1886, she was the first person to drive an automobile over a long distance. In doing so, she brought the Benz Patent-Motorwagen worldwide attention and got the company its first sales.

She even invented “brake linings” - modern day brake pads and shoes.
She is responsible for many of Ford of Europe’s operations, including manufacturing, quality, product development, purchasing, sustainability, environment and safety engineering. She joined Ford in 1990.
Honda Motor Company (China) appointed Asako Suzuki as the company's first female Chief Operating Officer.
Alicia Boler-Davis was named senior vice president, Global Connected Customer Experience, in November 2014.

Boler-Davis leads GM’s global efforts to provide customers with the best overall service and experience in the industry, as well as market-leading connectivity and infotainment products and services.

Boler-Davis began her GM career in 1994 as a manufacturing engineer at the Midsize/Luxury Car Division in Warren, Michigan.
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