About Sisters in Cars

INSPIRATION ACROSS BORDERS

As a journalist with electrified cars as a specialty, I travel a lot. I meet women and men at importers and dealers. I attend launches, fairs, conferences and events. Along the way I meet many interesting and engaged people and the network is continuously expanding. This makes my job rewarding. I have previously worked in both female- and male-dominated workplaces. As a motoring journalist, I am definitely one of the few women. Often the only one. I have no problem with that.

I'm used to being "one of the guys". Nevertheless, I have often thought that it is a bit strange. It is 2022. I live in Norway, in Scandinavia, in the Nordics. A part of the world that is considered the most equal, privileged and well-developed. In the 80s, it was quite natural to be the only woman on the brokerage table in the tank department of Fearnleys (ship brokerage). It's been almost 40 years. 40 years! It is a long time ago. Very long, isn't it?

I currently work in the car industry and it is polarised. In Norway, the proportion of women is only nine percent. The industry takes it seriously and there is a focus on measures to increase the low proportion. How is it in Denmark and Sweden, or Finland? I know that AutoBranchen Danmark is working hard to recruit more women at all levels. There is a labor shortage. Sweden has an annual ranking of the 100 most important Swedish women in the car industry. This shows that women are taken seriously.

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Can we learn from each other, across borders and together create a common Scandinavian/Nordic future with a focus on sustainability, equality, mobility, education, recruitment, technology...? Let's build networks and find each other through the sharing of stories, challenges, community and values. These are my wishes for Sisters In Cars and the conference. Media researchers say: Get together or get behind. Let's therefore get together!

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Welcome!

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Best regards,

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Gro Flaaten