National Grid fleet manager Lorna McAtear has received the Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award at an event to mark International Women’s Day.

Now in its third year, the award, which is run in partnership with AM and its sister title Fleet News, is named after Barbara Cox, the business pioneer who served as director of Cox Enterprises, Cox Automotive’s parent company in the USA.

It recognises a woman that demonstrates a commitment to innovation, leadership or community, and awards £5,000 for her to spend on her own personal development.

Almost 300 people from across the automotive industry attended the virtual event today (March 8) as part of Cox Automotive’s Women With Drive programme, which aims to promote diversity in the automotive industry.

McAtear (pictured) was selected by a judging panel that included previous winners Alison Jones from Stellantis and Beryl Carney from JCT600 along with: Smart Transport’s Sarah Tooze; Cox Automotive UK’s Liam Quegan and Alison Fisher; and Lynda Ennis from Ennis & Co.

Jessica Chapman, head of new business, LeasePlan UK was highly commended.

Also on the shortlist were: Isobel Dando, managing director, Pivotal, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR); Alison Moriarty, fleet risk director, Driive Consulting; Carmen Nieto, manager, Manchester Business Centre, Ford Credit Europe; and Jacqueline O'Donovan, managing director, O'Donovan Waste Disposal.

Martin Forbes, the president of Cox Automotive International, presented the Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award to McAtear describing her as a “highly regarded professional” and an “extremely worthy winner”.

“What impressed us about Lorna is her genuine passion, and the energy she puts into everything she does,” he said. “She seems to approach everything with vigour, going above and beyond her role to make a real difference.

“Lorna has shown genuine strength when it comes to changing mindsets and challenging the status quo. She has excelled at managing change and bringing about real transformation within several high-profile organisations and is at the forefront of the transition of fleets to low and zero emission alternatives.

“Finally, Lorna has an outstanding track record of delivering results and transforming businesses through her unwavering commitment to ‘doing the right thing’ by her people, her customers and the wider environment – which is one of the guiding principles we have here at Cox Automotive.”

McAtear is also a long-standing judge for the Fleet News Awards and a member of the Fleet & Mobility Live visitor advisory board.