As we celebrate International Women’s Day, motorsport isn’t traditionally known for it’s diversity. However, Formula E is keen to change that and is showcasing its newly released sustainability report, which highlights all the work they are doing around e-mobility and equity in sport and STEM.
Aligned to the FIA Girls on Track initiative that Formula E has been delivering alongside the FIA, Formula E is dedicated to raising not only the profile of female roles within motor sport, but their diversity and routes of entry. Formula E employs a diverse number of women in various technical roles from across the all-electric championship, from General Counsel and Engineers to Tyre and Logistics Specialists. Also, the FIA Girls on Track programme has hosted nearly 2,000 girls at track, with further Season 9 activations at Formula E races in São Paulo and Jakarta
Here, for IWD 2023, Formula E are highlighting the achievements of women already playing a key role in the success of the sport:
Leading Women in ABB FIA Formula E Racing Teams
Maserati MSG Racing – Anastasia Fowle, General Counsel
For over four years, Anastasia Fowle has been Maserati MSG Racing’s General Counsel, heading up all things legal for the Monegasque vice-world Champions including; driver contracts, complex partnership agreements and intellectual and property rights. In addition to her role with the team, and her partnership role at Shoosmiths LLP, Anastasia is also a director of the Formula 1 Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (“GPDA”). A true female trailblazer in motorsport, not only is Anastasia the first female director of the GPDA, she’s also the first non-F1 driver to hold this crucial role providing business, legal and strategic advice for the organisation.
DS Penske – Juliana Neto, Physiotherapist
Juliana is the physiotherapist to the DS PENSKE Formula E Team, having started her career in motor sport back in 2017. With experience in Formula E, Formula 3, DTM, WTCR, GT Championships and many 24-Hour endurance races, she’s responsible for ensuring the drivers can perform at their optimum levels when racing and training. Juliana first began working in sport back in 2010 with the Portuguese Athletic Federation and the Portuguese Olympic Committee, with further experience in environments like the UEFA Champions League and many international athletics championships. Since 2018, she’s also been responsible for the Bioperformance Center in the High Performance Center for Motor Sport in Madrid.
Jaguar TCS Racing – Lais Campelo S. F. Lima, Software and Data Engineer
Growing up in Brazil, Lais had a curiosity for the world of motorsport, inspired by drivers such as Senna, Barrichello, Massa and Fittipaldi, but never thought she would go on to have a career in the industry. Lais pursued her interests in technology and science, achieving a Masters in Physics and joining the Jaguar Land Rover graduate scheme. Now, in a role described as challenging and rewarding, Lais is immersed in motorsport as a Software and Data Engineer at Jaguar TCS Racing, delivering software applications, processing and analysing data, and extracting the best from the drivers and the cars.
NEOM McLaren Formula E Team – Georgina Yeomans, Communications Executive
Georgina Yeomans is the Communications Executive for NEOM McLaren Electric Racing, which spans both its Formula E and Extreme E teams. Her role spans a variety of responsibilities, including writing press releases, managing driver media and marking interviews and filming. Georgina has been gaining experience in the motorsport industry since the age of 16, with a background in journalism and communications. She first got experience in the industry through Girls on Track UK (previously Dare to be Different), which gave her the contacts and confidence to follow her passion. This began with work experience at Autosport, which led to communications work with Torque PR.
Envision Racing – Michelle Creighton, Composite Technician
Michelle has a critical role within the team, as she ensures all the bodywork on both chassis’ is as pristine as possible. Whenever there is any damage to the floors or bodywork, it is her responsibility to fix the damaged area as neatly and as lightly as possible, keeping the car always looking perfect! Despite not studying motorsport whilst at college, Michelle enjoyed the sport as a hobby with her Dad before going on to have a vast career in motorsport, working in WRC Mini, LMP, GT series and Formula One in the Composites Department. Michelle joined the team last November, which means there is now a female in every department at Envision Racing!
NIO 333 Racing – Marta de Pfaff Ganduxer, Tyre Performance Engineer
Marta studied MSc Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes University, where she had the opportunity to work with the PBM Ducati Racing Team in the British Superbikes Championship. She has worked with various racing teams, including NIO 333 FE Team, playing a vital role in optimizing tyre performance. Marta is a strong advocate for gender equality in motorsports and encourages young girls interested in the industry to work hard and stay motivated. Marta’s expertise extends beyond motorsports, also having worked as an EV Powertrain Expert Engineer and has provided support for the development of electric vehicles for companies such as Honda, Toyota, and BMW.
Mahindra Racing – Andrea Ackroyd, Lead Performance Engineer
Andrea, the team’s Lead Performance Engineer, joined Mahindra Racing alongside Alexander Sims in Season 7. For two years she was his Performance Engineer, before she was promoted to her current role at the start of Season 9. With a love of physics and maths, Andrea studied engineering at university and was quickly attracted to the motorsport-related modules. She was fascinated by the hard work that goes on within a race team to achieve a competitive edge, and decided to pursue it as her career. To young women wanting a career in motorsport, she says: Don’t listen to the naysayers, keep your head held high, and stay curious.
Avalanche Andretti Formula E – Marissa Andretti, Vice President, Andretti Autosport and Managing Director, Andretti technologies
Marissa Andretti grew up around the sport, spending time and learning from her second family – a racing team. Andretti officially joined the family business in 2015 as a Client Relations Representative in Andretti Autosport’s INDYCAR program. With an interest in racing operations, Andretti assists in project management for the team’s branding-related operations whilst also serving as a Vice President within Andretti Autosport, overseeing the team’s philanthropic initiatives via The Michael Andretti Foundation. Additionally, Andretti has taken on the role of Managing Director for Andretti Technologies [ATEC], where she assists in developing strategy and project fruition, centralising departments across the team.
Leading Women in ABB FIA Formula E Partners
It isn’t only teams where women are carving out a successful career in Motorsport – Formula E also highlights some of the women playing a key role within partnerships of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship:
Allianz – Claudia Spagl, Global Partnerships Manager
Claudia Spagl is the Global Partnerships Manager at Allianz, and responsible for its Formula E partnership. Having started her career at the company’s communications agency where she was already workings on different motorsports topics and being responsible for the Extreme E partnership of Allianz,
she was really proud to then lead the Formula E account. Besides her passion for motorsports, the synergies between Allianz and Formula E is what makes her so excited about the partnership. As one of the world’s largest automotive insurers with a strong sustainability agenda, driving the transformation to e-mobility and supporting the dream of “clean air” is at the centre of her work.
ABB – Stephanie Wyss, Supplier Governance & Communication for ABB Formula E Partnership
Stefanie started her career at ABB as an assistant in the branding team in 2017. She always had a passion for cars and motorsport, and therefore leapt at the opportunity to be part of the ABB Formula E Partnership team, taking on the role of Supplier Governance & Communication in October 2019. Her dedication, attitude and organisational skills meant she soon took on responsibility of managing all merchandise, teamwear and logistics, playing a vital role in the success of the customer engagement program which is central to ABB’s title partnership with the Championship.
DHL – Manuela Gianni, Head of DHL Motorsport
Manuela Gianni’s experience in logistics has been driven by her passion for foreign languages and travel. She fluently speaks four languages and has been driven to the international atmosphere and opportunities that only a multinational company like DHL can offer. In her current role as Head of DHL Motorsport Italy she oversees the local Motorsport Team and manages the contract with Formula E Operations, for which DHL is founding and logistics partner since the launch of the Formula E Championship, heading a Team of professionals which are instrumental for delivering the Championship with strategic targets towards a sustainable logistics module.
Julius Baer – Selin Jost, Project Manager
Selin joined Julius Baer’s sponsorship team as a project manager in 2022, where she supports and focuses on sustainability and innovation-related partnerships, including Formula E, of which Julius Baer is the Global Founding Partner. Selin’s passion for sustainability began when working for the company’s sustainability team for three years where she co-led the development of the group’s climate strategy, before joining the partnerships teams. After graduating from the University of St. Gallen in 2017 with a degree in Management, Organization Studies, and Cultural Theory she enrolled on Julius Baer’s ‘graduate programme’, working on various assignments in Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Hankook – Sujin Jang, Chief Engineer of Formula E Tire Development Project
As a dynamic individual who thrives on challenges and pushing boundaries, Sujin was always there whenever Hankook needed breakthroughs throughout her 18 years with the company. From new product launches, OE tires for high-end carmakers, to the start of motorsports, Sujin was there taking Hankook tires to a new level. Sujin was put in charge of compound development for Formula E tires and was the first female compound developer in the Hankook Tire Research & Development Center. Seeing the compounds Sujin developed in action and earning results through race performance always keeps her striving for more.
Formula E and the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship continues to champion diversity and equality in motorsport – and we hope next year’s list of women leading the field off track will be even longer!
About Formula E and the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship:
As the world’s first all-electric FIA World Championship and the only sport certified Net Zero Carbon since inception (achieved in line with the 2020 definition), the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship brings dramatic racing to the heart of some of the world’s most iconic cities providing an elite motorsport platform for the world’s leading automotive manufacturers to accelerate electric vehicle innovation
The Formula E network of teams, manufacturers, partners, broadcasters, and host cities are united by a passion for the sport and belief in its potential to accelerate sustainable human progress and create a better future for people and planet.
Image caption: Marta de Pfaff Ganduxer
