Eleventh Women@SIMI event celebrated
The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) recently celebrated its 11th Women@SIMI event in partnership with Bank of Ireland at the InterContinental, Dublin.
The event brought together 200 professional women from various sectors within the motor industry in Ireland to celebrate their extensive contributions and promote networking, stepping out of comfort zones, and embracing opportunities.
From left: Anne Marie Murtagh, MF Autoservices Ltd; Antonia Hendron, M50 Truck and Van Centre; and Gillian Fanning, Serfac Ltd
Breda McCague, motivator and transformation specialist, hosted a panel of speakers including Joanne Somers, managing director, Johnsons Ireland, and Áine Denn, tech entrepreneur and co-founder, Blazer.
The panel shared valuable insights into leadership, communication, resilience, entrepreneurship, and dealing with change.
SIMI president, Liam Denning, highlighted the importance of “moving past outdated cultural perceptions, embracing diversity, and supporting career development so that the next generation sees the industry as a viable career path and one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”.
“Women@SIMI provides greater visibility of the changes that are happening for the better,” he added.
Karen Kennedy, senior sales and relationship manager at Bank of Ireland Finance, said: “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.
“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.”