Women inspire, and are inspired, at GFC 2023
“You don’t need to be ‘one of the boys’ to succeed”, said one of our Inspiring Women in Fleet in a soon to be published interview. At the 2023 Global Fleet Conference (GFC), we had further proof: a breakfast meeting overflowing with close to 60 successful fleet professionals – all female.
The setting, a five-star hotel on the Portuguese Riviera, was right for a celebratory gathering. But the first meeting of Inspiring Women in Fleet (IWIF) in 2023 was about more than female fleet professionals congratulating each other on their success. It was, as the title suggests, also about empowerment. About women who are inspiring; and about inspiring other women.
The very first IWIF breakfast meeting took place at the 2022 Fleet Europe Summit in Dublin, past November. The initiative was an instant success, as was this second meeting, with dozens of female attendees to the wider conference attending this event, designed especially by and for inspiring women in fleet.
The proceedings were opened with welcome words by Caroline Thonnon (CEO of Nexus Communication) and Annie Pin (CCO of ALD Automotive, and proud sponsor of the IWIF breakfast at GFC 2023).
The almost entirely female audience (one man had smuggled himself into the meeting) welcomed onto the stage a succession of women in fleet with inspiring career stories: Teresa Casulleras (Group Sourcing Manager Travel, Fleet & Events at Merck, and 2022 European Fleet & Mobility Manager of the Year), and Elena Malagarriga (Fleet and Mobility Global Category Lead at Takeda).
The attendees to the IWIF breakfast meeting also had ample time to network and exchange experiences among themselves. Finally, Teresa, Elena and Annie were presented with a recognition to thank them for their contribution to making this meeting a success.
The entire GFC was a success, also from a female perspective. No less than nine female fleet professionals were on stage during the plenary sessions, sharing their knowledge and experience: Virginie Sauvet-Goichon (Renault), Andrea Montuori (Xylem), Cindy Creel (UCB), Paula Diniz Oliveira (Zoetis), Sabrina Eickelkamp (Mercedes-Benz), Amélie de Valroger (ALD Automotive), Pilar Madeira (ALD Automotive), Silvia Branca (Tetra Pak) and Teresa Casulleras, aforementioned.
If you’ve missed this IWIF meeting, don’t worry: there will be more. Make a note in your calendar for 25 September, when we will have an IWIF networking lunch at the Fleet LatAm Conference in Mexico; and for 23 November, for another IWIF breakfast meeting during the Fleet Europe Summit in Lisbon.
From left to right: Caroline Thonnon (Nexus Communication) - Annie Pin (ALD Automotive) - Elena Malagarriga (Takeda) - Teresa Casulleras (Merck)
