Winners announced for Autocar Great Women: Rising Stars 2025

The event included a number of speakers, including talks and interviews from: Sarah Windrum, head of cluster development at Horiba MIRA; Volvo Car UK managing director Nicole Melillo Shaw; Diane Miller, director of the Parts Distribution Centre at Ellesmere Port for Stellantis; Lorraine Bishton, managing director of Subaru UK; and Renee Knott, head of project management and planning at Aston Martin.

This year’s Great Women initiative was sponsored by: Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, Bentley, BMW Group, International Motors, Ineos Automotive, Keyloop, Lookers, Horiba MIRA, Nissan, TrustFord and Volvo. 

You can read more about all the winners by visiting the Great Women in the British Car Industry microsite: www.autocar.co.uk/greatwomen/2025

The full list of category winners is as follows:   

Sales: Mollie Deacon, general manager, Citroën Burton, Vertu 

Events: Sophie Rowe, events manager, golf, BMW UK

Manufacturing: Lorretta Dittrich, GME logistics director, JLR

Marketing: Abbie Harris, new product launch manager, Renault Group UK

Digital: Molly Morrell, CX metrics specialist, Ford Pro

Operations: Natalie Dowsett, co-founder and COO, OX Delivers

PR and communications: Emily Giddings, marketing and PR director, The Little Car Company/Hedley Studios

Talent: Shani Roberts, business partner, skills, Horiba MIRA

Vehicle development: Nash Vracas, senior aerodynamicist, Aston Martin