Whitley, 8th July 2016: Autocar has recognised twenty female workers at Jaguar Land Rover as some of the brightest and most influential stars in a new Top 100 Most Influential British Women in the Automotive Industry report.

F‑PACE Chief Product Engineer, Danella Bagnall, won the Product Development Category, while Fiona Pargeter, Head of Global PR Communications, topped the Communications Category.

Danella, Land Rover’s first‑ever female Vehicle Programme Director, has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks having joined the company as an apprentice 28 years ago. The talented individual has worked across both Jaguar and Land Rover brands, holding various positions within Body Engineering, developing her technical skills and leadership responsibility by bringing some of the company’s most iconic vehicles to life.

Fiona Pargeter was appointed as Jaguar Land Rover’s Global PR Communications Director in November 2012. She previously enjoyed an impressive tenure at the helm of the Land Rover PR team and was responsible for implementing the global PR strategies for the Range Rover Evoque and all‑new Range Rover. She is navigating the Global PR function through what is arguably the busiest and most successful period in the two iconic British brand’s recent history.

The winners were announced at the inaugural Great British Women in the Car Industry event on 8 July 2016, which was created to encourage more women into the automotive industry and to address the challenges they face in both entering and progressing in it.

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director said, “We are absolutely thrilled that so many of our brightest and valued employees have been recognised in these special awards. We pride ourselves on the diversity of our workforce. They are at the forefront of a new age in which gender boundaries are being broken, and we’re incredibly lucky to have such talent here with us at Jaguar Land Rover.”

Autocar editorial director, Jim Holder, added: “We have started this event to stimulate debate about the attractiveness of the industry we love as a place to work for everyone. At present, women are underrepresented in the automotive industry, but it is our belief that a positive focus on the numerous opportunities that a career in the industry can offer can have a real impact in reversing that trend”

Jaguar Land Rover has a wide range of educational initiatives, which aim to get young people excited about careers in the automotive industry. This includes the annual ‘Young Women in the Know’ course for females aged 16‑18 which challenges outdated perceptions of manufacturing being unsuitable for women, using female role models to support and encourage students and offering hands‑on experience to enrich STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) education.

Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘Inspiring Tomorrow’s Engineers’ aims to capture the imagination of the next generation of engineers through Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths activities in schools. In 2015, more than 300,000 young people participated in the programme, of which 135,000 were female. The company’s Women In Engineering Sponsorship Scheme also supports ambitious female engineers wanting to develop their careers by offering placements to females studying engineering degrees.

In 2015, 34% of engineering apprentices hired at Jaguar Land Rover were a result of such initiatives, demonstrating the importance of engaging with the next generation of talent from a young age. Last year, 22% of Jaguar Land Rover’s engineering graduate intake were female, higher than the national figure of 15%, demonstrating the huge progress the business is making to attracting more women into the business. 

For current employees, the Jaguar Land Rover Academy fosters lifelong learning and development, investing significantly in developing people and enhancing their skills.

About

Danella Bagnall, Vehicle Programme Director
Danella Bagnall is Land Rover’s first ever female Vehicle Programme Director, having been appointed to the role in February 2015. She has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks having joined the company as an apprentice 28 years ago.

She has worked across the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, holding various positions within Body Engineering, developing her technical skills and leadership responsibility by bringing some of the company’s most iconic vehicles to life. 

Her enviable CV includes the Discovery 3, the original Range Rover Sport, Jaguar XJ, successes which resulted in Danella leading the Body Engineering team to deliver the all new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. More recently, Danella was in charge of the Evoque Convertible’s entire manufacturing process, all the way from paper blueprint to final production.

Danella frequently represents the company on the global stage, supporting the technical aspects of world media launches and taking in international secondments.

Danella is a true role model for the next generation of female engineers and is extremely passionate about nurturing future talent. She is active in coaching the engineers and business leaders of the future and presents at schools and universities to encourage students to pursue their technical dreams.

Danella mentors the first winner of the Range Rover Evoque Wise Scholarship and recently mentored a young engineer after featuring in the Business Section of the Marie Claire publication.

In September 2015 her phenomenal contribution was recognised as she was awarded with an Honorary Degree by the University of Wolverhampton’s Science and Engineering faculty for her work as an engineering role model.

Fiona Pargeter, Global PR Communications Director
Fiona Pargeter was appointed as Jaguar Land Rover’s Global PR Communications Director in November 2012, and is a member of the company’s Executive Committee.

Previously Fiona enjoyed an impressive tenure at the helm of the Land Rover PR team, and was responsible for implementing the global PR strategies for the Range Rover Evoque and all‑new Range Rover. 

Fiona’s impact has spread far across the industry, with the Scot building a wealth of automotive experience in over 20 years with Ford, Volvo and Nissan prior to joining Jaguar Land Rover in 2009. 

She is navigating the Global PR function through what is arguably the busiest and most successful period in the two iconic British brand’s recent history.

Jaguar Land Rover Initiatives

Young Women in the Know
Jaguar Land Rover’s education team runs an annual a ‘Young Women in the Know’ course for females aged 16‑18. The course challenges outdated perceptions of manufacturing being unsuitable for women, uses female role models to support and encourage students and offers hands‑on experiences to enrich STEM education and increase interest in apprenticeship and graduate careers at JLR. Students who meet the recruitment criteria attend a special assessment day at the end of the course and so far, 30 students have joined the company’s apprenticeship programme.

Women in Engineering Sponsorship Scheme
Jaguar Land Rover has created the Women in Engineering Sponsorship Scheme to support ambitious female Engineers develop their careers. Diversity within our workforce gives us the competitive edge we want to stay out in front.

The scheme offers 3, 6, and 15 month placements to females studying engineering degrees. The students join us every summer until they graduate, and if appropriate, also join us for their Industrial Placement too. The students receive benefits such as a competitive salary, and an annual holiday allowance. In addition, students on our sponsorship scheme also benefit from a bursary payment of £1,500 when they return to their studies each year.

Jaguar Land Rover Audio Engineer Orla Murphy, who is the IET’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2016, commented, “Being involved in the Women in Engineering scheme was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It offered support and additional training that helped me to adapt to the dynamic and exciting work environment at Jaguar Land Rover. On placement, I learned so much about working in industry, especially about applying theoretical knowledge to real life situations. I worked with different teams on a variety of projects and the diversity of opportunities available meant I had the skills and experience I needed to hit the ground running when I started Jaguar Land Rover’s graduate programme.”

As part of her IET role, Orla is championing women in engineering and is supporting various events across the UK to tell her inspirational story of how she combined her passion for music with engineering, a career she’d never considered whilst at school.

The scheme has now been running for four years with fantastic successes. For the last intake, 2015, we had 445 applications and recruited a cohort of 10 places. In fact each year, we’ve recruited at or above the hiring target of a cohort of 10 due to the level of interest and quality of engineers that we find.

Women in Leadership Programme
In 2011, there were 2,694 female students who graduated from engineering subjects in the UK. Only 27% then chose careers within the Engineering industry. Jaguar Land Rover wanted to offer those women an insight into potential careers. 

Jaguar Land Rover’s Women in Engineering Sponsorship Scheme is designed to support the training of female engineer undergraduates alongside their degree. In addition, the Engineering Network for Women (TEN) is a forum allowing students in all engineering disciplines the opportunity to understand the importance of networking and interact with employees at all levels within Jaguar Land Rover.

This scheme provides 10 new places every year to support the training of female engineering undergraduates who want to explore and develop their future career path in engineering whilst studying. The students complete 3, 6 or 15 month placements during their studies. Jaguar Land Rover provides the students with intensive, first‑hand experience of how the company operates and places them on projects where they can make a significant contribution.

Range Rover Evoque WISE Scholarship
The Range Rover Evoque WISE scholarship was an exciting collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover and WISE offering sponsorship to women starting an engineering degree course at a UK University or starting an engineering apprenticeship. The scheme supported young women in the UK to access the opportunity to enjoy the rewards of an engineering career.

The undergraduate scholarship winners received £1000 per year for three years of their studies, the offer of a mentor from Jaguar Land Rover and a mentor from WISE and the offer of a summer placement at Jaguar Land Rover.

The apprentice scholarship winners received £1000 per year, a mentor from WISE (with approval of your organisation) and various opportunities to inspire more girls to take on apprenticeships in STEM.

As well as evidence of commitment to a career in engineering, the judges looked for young women who will inspire the next generation of girls to follow in their footsteps.

Jaguar Land Rover Academy
Jaguar Land Rover has launched its Academy, the first of its kind in the UK automotive sector.  The new Academy will offer all Jaguar Land Rover workers the opportunity to take part in continuous development programmes to enhance their careers and provide the skills the company needs.

With an annual learning and development outlay of £100 million, Jaguar Land Rover invests heavily in skills.  The creation of the Academy gives renewed focus to that investment and will deliver improved skills for the long‑term by strengthening the links between training and business needs.  All training provided through the Jaguar Land Rover Academy will meet quality levels defined by a recognised and standardised accreditation process

Inspiring female school students
Jaguar Land Rover aims to attract more males and females into engineering roles through it’s ‘Inspiring Tomorrow’s Engineers’ school STEM education programme. The company’s Education Centres offer plant visits, classroom activities and work placements and students can participate in its school STEM Challenge programmes which aim to inspire and enthuse the next generation of engineers and technologists. Last year, 300,000 young people in the UK participated in these activities, of which around 135,000 were female.

Worshipful Company of Coachmakers: Women in Engineering Scholarship
Jaguar Land Rover has recently teamed up with the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers to launch a scholarship to help young women pursue their dreams and help build tomorrow.

The scheme is aimed at A Level students who want to go on to study an engineering or associated subject at University. The scholarship provides a rare opportunity to join the ranks of the engineers and scientists who built today, with successful individuals winning an award of £3,000 per year to help fund their university career for up to four years.

In addition the scholars will undertake industrial placements with Jaguar Land Rover during their summer vacations and be assigned an engineering mentor from the business to help guide and shape their future.

Jaguar Land Rover’s Engineering Network for Women
Our female engineers are our greatest asset in promoting the value of a diverse workforce. Jaguar Land Rover set up the Engineering Network for Women, a networking society which runs events across the UK. At these events, female Jaguar Land Rover employees meet female engineering students who are interested in pursuing careers in the automotive sector. The events raise awareness of the exciting opportunities both within the company and the wider world of engineering for current Undergraduates.

The Engineering Network for Women was launched in November 2011 and the company has since held many successful events at universities across the UK. At least three recent female engineering graduates and a senior manager from the business attend each session. Undergraduates who participate enjoy an informal but honest discussion on both the challenges and advantages of being a female engineer.

In 2014 the WE Network also held a work experience competition for the opportunity to spend a week with the Jaguar Land Rover Product Development team with their expenses covered. This competition was open to those studying at university, however JLR offer work experience to over 400 young people (15‑18) each year.

ENDS