Nicola Langley, Volvo Car UK’s Customer Experience Development Manager, has been recognised for her work and achievements in the first Inspiring Automotive Women Awards, announced at a presentation evening at the RAC Club in London.
Celebrating women in the motor industry
The new awards, organised by the UK Automotive 30% Club, encourage motor industry businesses to acknowledge and celebrate the great work done by their female employees and to inspire their colleagues.
Nicola was among 30 women to be honoured, each of whom was nominated by their peers, regardless of their position or seniority. The award-winners were chosen by a panel of seven independent judges.
Personal reaction
“This is a wonderful surprise,” said Nicola. “I am very proud of this award, but it’s not just about me. It’s about celebrating the work we’re doing at Volvo to improve our service to customers and retailers, and to ensure that gender is no barrier to success. Being a part of that work is personally very rewarding, and all the more so if my example helps inspire other women to take up a career in the motor industry.”
Volvo’s pride
Mike Johnstone, Volvo Car UK Marketing Strategy Director, said: “We’re delighted that Nicola has been recognised for the fantastic work she has done for the Volvo brand in elevating the experience we provide to our valued customers. She is role model within Volvo UK and we are very proud of her.”
“Unsung heroes”
Julia Muir, CEO of Gaia Innovation and founder of the UK Automotive 30% Club, explained the purpose of the awards programme: “Inspired by the women I worked with when I first joined the motor trade, I launched the awards to celebrate the unsung heroes of our industry. Often their valuable contribution is appreciated and acknowledged within their own teams or by customers, but they are rarely given the public recognition they deserve for their efforts to create a positive working environment.”
Building relationships, helping others
Since joining Volvo Car UK from the telecoms sector, Nicola has been involved in building the level of support provided to customers, developing the customer relations function and introducing new training methods, one-to-one coaching and development activities with retailers. This has helped deliver improved customer service and retailer relationships.
She has encouraged and taken a lead in the company’s gender diversity activities and been involved in support work with Daventry Hill School, a local special education needs college, to help students find work after their studies. Nicola also works with other local schools to promote the motor industry as a career option for female students.
The UK Automotive 30% Club
The UK Automotive 30% Club is a voluntary group of leading business people from automotive manufacturing, retailing and supplier companies. Its aim is to achieve a better gender balance within the industry, with at least 30% of key leadership positions in its member organisations filled by women by 2030. Its strategy includes attracting more women to the sector, removing any bias in recruitment, bringing women through the promotion pipeline and retaining female talent.
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