DUNTON, U.K, Jun. 15, 2021 – 10 women from Ford have been chosen out of hundreds of nominees as among the 100 most prominent rising stars in the Autocar Great Women: Rising Stars Awards. The awards celebrate women in the British automotive industry who are making exemplary progress in their careers and have bright futures as changemakers within the automotive world.
Jane Skerry, executive HR Director for Ford of Britain and a previous winner of the Autocar Great Women in the British Car Industry award, commented: “It is fantastic to see so many winners from Ford in the Autocar awards this year, across such a wide range of categories and specialities. Ford prides itself on the diversity and passion of its workforce, and these ten women are testament to our commitment to drive the automotive industry forward with innovative approaches to manufacturing and people-led mobility solutions.”
Lynsey James-McCall, Transport Operations Manager at Dagenham, was selected as the overall winner of the Operations category. James-McCall is the first ever female transport operations manager at Dagenham and oversees more than 200 employees while running key parts of Ford’s complex logistics operation. Having joined Ford as a manufacturing graduate in 2000, she moved to her current role in 2017 and has striven for consistent efficiency improvement. She has also been nominated for the Chairman’s Leadership awards for her volunteer work for Women In Engineering.
A second winner in the Operations category is Buki Okoro, Quality Engineer. This is the second time Okoro has been successfully nominated for a Rising Star award, this time notably for her immense and indeed life-saving contribution towards the Ventilator Challenge UK which was established at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Described as a ‘shining star’ in her department, Okoro is also a STEM ambassador supporting local schools.
Ford boasted four winners in the People Development category, highlighting the emphasis placed on both product and personnel within the company. Debbie Francis, Senior HR Business Partner was praised for her recent pilot initiative utilising the “Team Mood” tool which provides managers with real time data on how their teams are feeling, and her dedicated work supporting staff mental health. Julia Brook and Niki Slaughter were unique in their nomination as they work as part of a job share as People Team Manager – Software Technology and New Businesses. They work out of Ford’s future-facing Innovation office in Stratford and were singled out for their ability to attract and retain top talent thanks to their inventive approach to work. Berenice Kude, PD Footprint Communication & Skills Lead, is responsible for supporting the re-training of staff making the move from traditional ICE products to electrified powertrains and connected vehicles. She was lauded for her positive approach towards significant culture shifts within the company and her ‘What I Have Learned’ initiative.
In the Vehicle Development category, Yichen Gao, Senior Integration Engineer was nominated for her impressive work leading the engineering and integration of the high-voltage electric drive system in the Transit Custom PHEV. She achieved her project goals in half the normal development time, crucially allowing the team to bring the vehicle to market ahead of time.
Lizzie Graves, Product Designer at D-Ford, was nominated in the Design category. Having joined Ford’s human-centric design lab in its infancy, Graves has helped grow the department thanks to her tireless work creating and sharing collaborative digital tools with her immediate team and other teams across the vast Ford network.
In the Mobility and Digital category, Amisha Patel, Product Owner, FordPass Pro, was chosen as one of the top nominees. Patel oversees the development of the FordPass Pro app which delivers vehicle information and services to 50,000 CV customers. She oversaw the building of the app from day one, and now manages the roll-out of new features to ensure that CV users are kept moving.
Elizabeth Olley, a fourth-year electro-mechanical apprentice at Dagenham Engine Plant, was selected in the Apprentice category. During the COVID-19 outbreak, Olley worked around the clock testing and repairing ventilators built at Ford plants and in turn passing her skills on to others. Her conscientious approach to identifying errors on these complicated machines under immense time pressure won her praise from her team who, thanks to her adaptability and knowledge, managed to produce and test 12,347 Penlon Prima ES02 ventilators.
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Contacts: Poppy McKenzie Smith +44 7702 064136 pmcken14@ford.com
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford trucks, utility vehicles, and cars – increasingly including electrified versions – and Lincoln luxury vehicles; provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company; and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected vehicle services. Ford employs approximately 186,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.
Ford of Britain has been sales leader in the U.K. for passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles for 44 and 55 consecutive years respectively, with Fiesta being the country’s top-selling vehicle for the last 12 years. The U.K. is Ford’s third-largest global market and accounts for around 30 percent of total Ford vehicle sales in Europe. Ford is going “all-in” on electrification, with its passenger vehicle range moving to all-electric by 2030. Ford directly employs around 7,000 people in the U.K., with thousands more employed in its extensive dealer network. The Ford Britain Dunton Campus in Essex is the home of Ford’s European commercial vehicle business group, the Ford of Britain national sales company, Ford’s banking arm – Ford Credit Europe – and powertrain engineering. Around 85 percent of engines and all transmissions built in the U.K. are exported to more than 15 countries on six continents. Total value of Ford exports is around £2.5 billion annually.
