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The winners of the 2025 Autocar Great Women: Rising Stars awards have been announced, recognising the motoring industry’s best up-and-coming female talent spanning nine categories.

Held in conjunction with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Autocar’s Great Women awards celebrate the most successful rising stars across a wide cross-section of the industry, working for a huge variety of firms including BMW Group, JLR and Renault Group UK.

There were 79 Rising Stars recognised across nine categories, with a winner emerging from each category. All Rising Stars were judged to be outstanding in their field and honoured today at Autocar's annual Great Women event, held this year at Horiba MIRA in Warwickshire.

The Great Women: Rising Stars initiative also has an Apprentice category that recognises the most promising emerging talent from across the industry, with 32 impressive individuals named at this year’s event. 

This year’s overall winner was Mollie Deacon, general manager of Citroën Burton for Vertu, who also claimed victory in the Sales category following a rapid rise through the business, having driven impressive results in electric vehicle sales, with her team achieving a 30% EV mix despite market hesitation.

Among the category winners were Sophie Rowe, events manager, golf, at BMW UK; Loretta Dittrich, GME logistics director at JLR; and Abbie Harris, new product launch manager at Renault Group UK. 

Autocar editor Mark Tisshaw said the standards this year were higher than ever: “This year, the exceptional quality of the submissions made the judging process both challenging and rewarding. I am confident that all the winners will continue to represent the best of our industry through their successful careers and personal growth. We are very eager to follow their future achievements.”

Chair of the judging panel and managing director of Haymarket Automotive, Rachael Prasher, added: “My sincere congratulations to all the award recipients and the remarkable women we’ve recognised in 2025. The exceptional talent, wide-ranging expertise and deep-seated passion underpinning the automotive sector are truly inspiring. As we collectively steer through this period of significant industry transformation, such talent and varied perspectives are absolutely crucial.”

SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said: “The Great Women awards shine a light on some of the extraordinary people driving the automotive industry, and this year’s candidates are nothing short of inspiring. Their achievements across such a diverse range of disciplines demonstrate the many rewarding careers and lifelong professional development opportunities the sector provides. Congratulations to all the winners – the industry’s rising stars who are already shaping its future success.”

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