‘It’s a fantastic honour’

IAM RoadSmart chief executive Sarah Sillars OBE has been named in Autocar’s Great British Women in the Car Industry 2016.

The awards named 100 inspirational British women from the automotive industry. Sarah was named on the list in the Executive category, alongside leading industry figures such as Alison Fowler, Ford of Europe, Nikki King OBE, honorary chairman of Isuzu Truck UK and Wendy Williams, chief executive and company secretary of the IAAF (Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation).

She said, ‘What can I say? It’s a fantastic honour to be recognised alongside so many brilliant women, from across the industry. Automotive is a great sector to work in, because of the diversity of roles and the opportunities to progress. Just look at the Autocar list.

‘While the car industry is often perceived as male dominated, these awards demonstrate that there are opportunities for all. I’d recommend anybody interested in a career in this area to talk to the IMI who are really championing careers in all areas, whether that’s PR, marketing, business management, IT or the core business of engineering, sales and aftermarket.’

Sarah joined IAM RoadSmart in February 2015, having previously overseen the commercialisation of Semta, the sector skills council for engineering and advanced manufacturing. She has also worked as CEO and executive chair of the Institute of the Motoring Industry (IMI).