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(Crewe, 17 October 2019).- Dr. Astrid Fontaine, Member of the Board for People, Digitalisation & IT at Bentley Motors, has today been announced as one of the top 100 Most Influential Women in the Engineering sector.
The list, produced by board appointments firm Inclusive Boards in partnership with the Financial Times, features senior leaders who hold a range of roles across the engineering sector. It will be officially released at the Inclusive Boards: Women in Engineering Leadership Conference on October 22nd.
Dr. Astrid Fontaine became Bentley’s first Member for the Board for People, Digitalisation and IT in January 2018. In this newly created role she combines leadership of Bentley’s human resources function with the delivery of the company’s digital transformation and IT services.
Since joining Bentley, Astrid has driven the development of a new digital strategy that will see the piloting of new digital services. Her team also drives the digital transformation of business processes, enterprise product and customer solutions.
As an ambassador for women in STEM, Astrid has also introduced the company’s first digital technology apprenticeship programme. She is fostering Bentley’s company-wide diversity programme, and this year the business welcomes the highest ever intake of female trainees to the business, with 35% of all new apprentices and 63% of the digital technology apprentices being female.
Astrid comments:
“With women still underrepresented across the STEM sector, the Inclusive Board report is an important initiative and I’m delighted to have been featured in the list published today.
“Our industry offers a wide range of career options from automotive design, engineering and manufacturing; through to information systems, technology and digitalisation, where I’ve been fortunate to be supported in the development of my own career.
“As Bentley celebrates its centenary and enters its next 100 years, my priority is to ensure we attract a diverse range of candidates into all of our functions and develop their potential as part of our journey to inclusiveness.”
Inclusive Boards will also be publishing extensive research into engineering in the UK as well as the results of their diversity survey of the UK’s top 500 engineering firms by revenue.
Development Director Elizabeth Oni-Iyiola explains:
“The Engineering sector has an impact on almost every area of our day to day lives. Astrid and those featured today are role models who inspire those around them and demonstrate leadership and influence in the work that they do.”
Patrick Clarke, Director of Network Operations at UK Power Networks and judge for the list said:
“I am personally inspired but not at all surprised by the tremendous talent on the Women in Engineering list. Sadly there are still plenty of people who will be surprised due to a mind-set which say Engineering equals males not females. I took part as a judge because I wanted to be inspired.”
About Dr. Astrid Fontaine
- 2019 onwards: Volkswagen Group Services – Member of the Supervisory Board.
- 2018 onwards: Member of the Board – People, Digitalisation and IT.
- 2016-2017: Emory University, Goizueta Business School – Adjunct Professor Information Systems – Digital Enterprise.
- 2013-2017: Porsche Cars North America – Vice President Human Resources, Culture and Innovation.
- 2012-2013: China Europe International Business School – Visiting Professor Business Strategy.
- 2007-2012: Emory University, Goizueta Business School – Ph.D. Doctoral Student, Information Systems and Business Strategy.
- 2002-2006: Mercedes-Benz USA. LLC – Chief Information Officer – Information Technology MBUSA.
- 2000-2002: Mercedes-Benz USA. LLC – General Manager – eBusiness/Digitalization.
- 1998-2000: Mercedes-Benz Passenger Car (DCAG) Senior Manager, Head of Staff to the Member of the Board for MB Passenger Cars.
- 1996-1998: Daimler-Benz AG – Manager, Corporate Controlling Daimler-Benz.
- 1995-1996: Mercedes-Benz AG – Manager, Corporate Strategy, Strategic Projects for South and North America.
- 1994-1995: Mercedes-Benz-AG – International Management Association Program (IMAP) of MB.
- 1989-1994: Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration from Kaiserslautern University.
About Inclusive Boards
Inclusive Boards are the UK’s leading board appointments firm, specialising in attracting high level diverse talent through a network of over 60,000 professionals. They operate across sectors including sport, to charities and social investment. Inclusive Boards’ cutting-edge research has featured in the Independent, Guardian, Daily Mail and more.
Inclusive Boards have also conducted a detailed diversity survey, analysing the gender, ethnicity, age profiles, and educational and socioeconomic backgrounds of Boards, directors and executives of the UK’s 500 largest engineering firms by revenue.
The list has been published today and will officially launch at the Inclusive Boards: Women in Engineering Leadership Conference in Central London on October 22nd, hosted by expert in gender and diversity issues in STEM, Dr Jan Peters. Inclusive Boards are the UK’s Executive Diversity Experts with a network of over 60,000 diverse professionals across the STEM, sport, not-for-profit and public sectors.
Source: Bentley
Photograph: Bentley
