European fleet industry needs much greater gender equality

But as with all data, context is everything. There were more than 1,500 delegates at the event, and even if a few women missed the IWIF session at the Luxexpo exhibition centre in Luxembourg, no visitor would have left the event thinking that the European fleet industry has achieved a 50:50 gender balance.

Award winners

The positive news is that two of the six Fleet Europe Awards 2025 were won by women. Tiffany Trichet, Group Indirect Procurement Manager of SPIE, won the International Fleet Sustainability Manager of the Year Award, and Marta Romaniuk, Global Category Manager at Becton Dickinson, was crowned Global Fleet Manager of the Year.

But their success was arguably more indicative that procurement functions, like HR and sustainability departments, have achieved better female representation than areas of fleet that are more focused on transport, operations or manufacturing. In the UK, about one third of the members of the Association of Fleet Professionals, which represents the country’s fleet managers, are women, a share that is rising as HR, benefits and finance engage more directly with fleet decision making responsibilities.

Women under-represented in top jobs

A Fleet Europe survey last year did find some progress being made, particularly with regard to salary parity between men and women. But 60% of respondents described the balance of men and women in C-level roles at their company as bad to mediocre, while 30% believe a glass ceiling that prevents women from being promoted to managerial- and executive-level positions still exists.

This is borne out in the senior leadership teams of Europe’s major leasing firms and vehicle manufacturers. The 11-strong Executive Committee of Ayvens includes two women; four of the 18 people on Arval’s Executive Committee are women; two of the 15 people on Stellantis’s Leadership Team are women; there’s only one woman among the eight people on Volkswagen’s Board of Management; while Renault has four women in its 15-strong leadership team.

It is perhaps unfair to single out these companies, given that the situation appears to be no different at virtually every leasing and fleet management company, and OEM. If representation were better, there would be no need for campaigns, such as IWIF or the Automotive 30% Club, a group of MDs and CEOs from automotive manufacturing, retailing and supplier companies working towards the goal of filling at least 30% of their key leadership positions with women by 2030.

Diversity essential for business success

There is a growing awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion within automotive businesses, but progress in achieving true gender parity has recently stalled, according to a 2025 global survey by Deloitte.

“Women remain underrepresented in leadership roles and many face persistent barriers to advancement,” said the report, which added that a diverse workforce is better equipped to drive innovation, deliver more robust risk management and achieve greater profitability in this era of transformational change.

Positive actions

Deloitte suggested three policies to create a more equitable automotive industry:

• Embrace flexible work arrangements, such as hybrid work models, flexible hours, compressed workweeks and the option to work part-time without jeopardising career progression. This supports women, who typically carry more of the childcare and eldercare responsibilities within families.
• Provide comprehensive support systems, such as accessible and affordable childcare options, as well as mental health and wellbeing programmes.
• Create an environment where women feel comfortable discussing their needs and seeking support without fear of stigma or career repercussions.

To reinforce these policies, companies should regularly and publicly publish data on their diversity metrics, including gender representation, pay equity and promotion rates, said Deloitte. The consultancy also suggests that diversity goals should play a role in leadership performance evaluations and compensation.