9th Annual Women@SIMI Event Celebrates Women Across the Irish Motor Industry  

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) recently hosted its 9th Annual Women@SIMI event in conjunction with its sponsor Bank of Ireland, in the Alex Hotel Dublin.

The event brought together over 170 professional women from various sectors to celebrate the extensive contributions made by women across the Motor Industry in Ireland.

SIMI President Jonathan Meade addressed the audience at his first official event in his capacity as SIMI President.
“Women@SIMI shines a positive light on women working within the Motor Industry, serving as an example for others who may wish to join”. Jonathan Meade highlighted the exciting opportunities within the industry and expressed gratitude to its sponsor Bank of Ireland for their continued support of the event since its inception.

Mary Kennedy, Master of Ceremonies welcomed guest speakers Sharon O’Buachalla, Managing Director of Ayvens, who’s leadership has played a pivotal role in guiding and developing the strategic direction of the company at the forefront of fleet management and innovative mobility solutions in Ireland. Along with Aoife O’Grady, Head of Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), who is championing and guiding the Motor Industry in the systemic transformation of the national vehicle fleet to electrification. The guest speakers shared their insights on leadership and innovation in the industry.

Guest Speaker Sharon O’Buachalla, speaking about what she has learnt as a leader. “To my let people be entrepreneurs, make mistakes, learn from them, give them the freedom and to listen. Surround yourself with very good people because the success of our company are the people. And for those think of entering the industry, you have to be passionate about what you do. There are many challenges facing our industry, every day is different, you must work hard and just go for it.”
Guest Speaker Aoife O’Grady, remarked “The Irish Motor industry is constantly evolving, you need to be prepared to be flexible and adaptable. Every job is interesting in its own way, you need to find what works for you”.

John Feeney, Head of Property, Project, and Asset-backed Finance, Corporate and Commercial Banking addressed the attendees “Bank of Ireland is delighted to sponsor the ‘Women@SIMI’ event again this year. This platform offers a great opportunity for women in the industry to network and gain leadership insights from esteemed industry leaders. At Bank of Ireland, we have a strong conviction that organisations and industries that harness talent thrive. We’re proud to be making significant steps to embodying this in our Group.”

SIMI remains committed to promoting inclusion and empowerment within the motor industry.

L to R: Sharon O’Buachalla Ayvens, John Feeney Bank of Ireland, Mary Kennedy, Aoife O’Grady ZEVI, Jonathan Meade SIMI President.