Mobility Outlook, the mobility-ecosystem-focused platform of CarTrade Tech, commemorated the spirit of women in the auto and aviation industries at its second edition of ‘Women in Mobility'.
Powered by MG Motor India, the event had Vinod Aggarwal, President, SIAM; President, ASDC and MD & CEO, VE Commercial vehicles, and Sunjay Kapur, President ACMA, and Chairman, Sona Comstar, as its guests of honour.
Gaurav Gupta, Chief Commercial Officer, MG Motor India, said, “This cause is very close to us at MG. In fact, this is a part of our daily lives at MG.” He also highlighted women-focused initiatives at his company such as Prerna, Genesis, Drive Her Back, Changemakers, Womentorship and Saarthi.
Banwari Lal Sharma, CEO - Consumer Business, CarTrade Tech, said, “The team at MG Motor India approved the Women in Mobility initiative without any hesitation. The only question Rajeev Chaba, President & MD, MG Motor India asked us was why we were doing this. I still remember telling them about the role of diversity in building a great team. Everything that we do every day helps us, and the same goes back to the culture. This was my answer to Gaurav and Rajeev.”
Runa Ahlawat, Head - Communications, MG Motor India, highlighted how the company was targeting 50% diversity in the years to come. At present, it is 37% at MG's Halol facility in Gujarat where the women are involved in different aspects of vehicle manufacturing.
“Men and women are born different but the question we should ask is should we be treated differently? From holding heavy guns to painting cars to perfection, the work done by Women of MG is mind-blowing! We had only one thing in mind and that was, and remains to be, making women in auto manufacturing possible,” continued Ahlawat.
In the words of Rajeev Chaba, MD & President, MG Motor India, “At MG, you would find different people working in a cohesive environment because we believe diversity does not divide but binds us.”
Coffee Table Book
The evening also saw the unveiling of a coffee table book featuring all the participants of the second season of 'Women In Mobility'. The book dwells upon the journeys of these women leaders and the challenges they faced en route.
Aggarwal said SIAM would map women's representation in the automotive industry. “The Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) is identifying skill gaps in employable women and will organise to up their skills,” he added. Aggarwal was appointed president of ASDC in 2021.
According to Kapur, the industry needed to honour more women. “Opportunities are increasing with the kind of disruption happening in the automotive industry,” he said.
While Women in Mobility focuses on individuals, it was as important to see how organisations were empowering women employees and leaders. Hence, a new initiative within the Women in Mobility umbrella, titled “Champions of Diversity (CoD)” was born. This will honour organisations that support diversity and inclusion in their workplaces.
This year saw five auto suppliers — Padmini VNA Mechatronics, Continental India, Dana TM4 India, Valeo India, and Cooper Corporation — being honoured for their progressive and inclusive workplace initiatives.
For the current edition, entries were open to suppliers only, but next year onwards, this initiative will open for vehicle manufacturers, suppliers and startups that champion women empowerment.
Deepangshu Dev Sarmah, Founding Editor, Mobility Outlook, said, “Some of you would remember that I had made a commitment at the finale of the first season of Women in Mobility about Champions Of Diversity. Hence, the Champions of Diversity as an initiative will focus on what the organisations are doing in terms of strengthening the diversity in their teams. We are felicitating five suppliers today but I truly believe that CoD can go a long-long way.”
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