One of our valued customers Lorna McAtear, Fleet Manager at National Grid, was recently awarded the Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award. The award, now in its third year, is to mark International Women’s Day, and to honour an inspirational woman within the automotive industry that demonstrates a commitment to innovation, leadership or community. Lorna McAtear was selected by a judging panel and awarded £5000 to spend on her personal development.

We caught up with her to talk to her about the award and her remarkable career within the fleet industry.

 

Congratulations Lorna on your award, tell us a bit more about it?

Thank you, it really was a genuine surprise to be recognised and win the award. It meant so much for me. This award is different to many others, being focused on leadership, innovation and setting direction of the future as well as on what you have achieved throughout your career. It was quite humbling to find out that there were a few people who nominated me, people who believed in me. I was so grateful they took the time to do that. Following on, I received so many personal messages and emails from people to congratulate me and tell me how I inspired them.

 

How did it feel to win it?

Again, it was a genuine surprise and very overwhelming. Listening to people read back your career to you, and talk about how you have influenced others is really quite a surprise. I was extremely emotional and I could barely speak- which, for anyone who knows me, is quite rare!

 

The prize includes £5,000 to spend on personal development. Do you have any idea of how you would like to develop yourself further?

I still don’t know. It was announced last week on Monday, so I need to stop and reflect on what I want to do. To be honest I hadn’t realised what the prize was until after I had received the “congratulations you have been shortlisted” email.

 

How important do you think it is to promote women in this industry?

This is an interesting question. I see the need being more around promoting the industry full stop, and inspiring the younger generation to get involved, regardless of gender. The fleet industry hasn’t seen such a change in over 100 years- that in itself is massive and very exciting. We need to see more diversity within the industry to support the changes, that includes age, because young people look at things differently.

 

How did you get in to the fleet industry?

Through IT! Which is a completely different skillset, but it’s now more prevalent in the automotive industry that it has ever been before. It’s so inbuilt to absolutely everything we do. Also, fleet manager’s job is now becoming so broad, it encompasses electricity and knowing how it works, and then moving to hydrogen so you suddenly become a chemist as well. This industry is so diverse and the skillset that is needed can come absolutely from everywhere. And it’s so exciting!

 

What are your career highlights?

One of the highlights has to be when I started on this journey. I joined the fleet team from a career in IT and then I went on a maternity leave. When I came back, I was handed Commercial Vehicles. I thought back then that there was no way I can do what my colleagues have done, they had so much knowledge and experience- I put them on a ‘pedestal’. One day someone turned to me and said: “They’ve been doing this for over 30 years and you’ve been doing this for only a couple of years. You’ve still got another 30 years to be where they are if you wish’’. Shortly after, colleagues of mine with many years of experience would come to me to ask for advice or seek my opinion. That’s the first lightbulb moment and it was about realising that you are your own person who has different skillsets to offer. I had a few moments throughout my career that made me realise I have my own style and I did have valuable things to offer. I was respected for my knowledge and for what I could do differently.

Pivotal moments can also be moments such as what I have mentioned earlier about all these people who have reached out to congratulate me, or people who say ‘’Thank you, you inspired me’’.

 

What tips and advice do you have for others?

Be yourself. I know that there is a lot of talk about authenticity, but genuinely be yourself.  If you try to be something you’re not you will be seen through, or you will fail, or you will be disappointed, so just be yourself. Also reach out to people. Networking is very important, because we don’t know it all and we can’t know it all. There is just too much going on and there will always be somebody who has done it and failed perhaps and learned from it, so just reach out to them and ask about it.

My advice for anyone is use that network. There is nothing wrong about saying ‘’I don’t know’’.

 

Who inspires you?

I still blame, of course in a nice and inspirational way, David Graham, who actually got me into fleet in the first place. He is the one who gave me the commercial fleet. He saw something in me that I didn’t see. And I realise even now when I talk to suppliers, or I am out there having conversations with people, or I’m looking in innovation, I remember being with him when he said: ‘’We need to do this with apps’’ and that was 10 to 15 years ago!

He is also the one who said to me and I think it’s true: “When you get into fleet you either love it or hate it, and if you love it you are here for life”.

 

What is next for you?

A lot of what I’m doing revolves around the strategic approach to take what scares people, and turn it into normal business. I don’t just do cars, or commercials. I’m looking at anything that moves basically, and any technologies that helps me get there. And a lot of what I do now is influencing and helping others.

 

Lorna also commented on how KINTO has helped and supported her on the journey: “What I like most about working with KINTO, is that you come and talk to me, you are always asking what’s next or how do we move forward. For me this is such a positive. And as our supplier and partner, you have always tried to meet my impossible challenges!”