Julie Hartley is industry’s ‘Woman of the Year’
Irizar UK Sales Director, Julie Hartley, has been crowned ‘Woman of the Year’ at the inaugural Women in Bus and Coach Awards.
The winners were announced during the Women in Bus and Coach (WiBC) Summit in Manchester.
In a post on social media, Julie said: “When I joined the bus and coach sector 25 years ago I was one of only a very few women on the vehicle supply side of the industry – sadly, all these years later, very little has changed. Women are massively underrepresented in the supply of buses and coaches, and even more so in leadership roles. I genuinely want to change this situation. I don’t have the answers of how this can be tackled, but perhaps this is the start – recognition is a powerful ally!”
The winners are:
Best Woman in Bus Award – Sponsored by Backhouse Jones
- Liz Eades, Workshop Manager, Stagecoach South East
- Finalists – Leanne Rowland-Bright, First Wessex; Helen Morris, Essex County Council
Best Woman in Coach Award – sponsored by IntSol Recruitment
- Winner – Julie Hartley, Sales Director, Irizar UK
- Finalists – Hayley Russell, FlixBus UK; Nicole Allan, Hunters Executive Coaches; Laura Hadzick, JMW Solicitors
Best Woman in Community Transport Award – Sponsored by Dawsongroup Bus and Coach
- Winner – Kimberley Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Lothian Community Transport Services
- Finalists – Sacha Petrie, Taith Coop; Caroline Wilson, Preseli Rural Transport Association; Jacqui Cook, Comunity Transport Sussex
The Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill Allyship Award – Sponsored by The Go-Ahead Group
- Winner – Richard Grey, Managing Director, Greys Travel Solutions
- Finalists – Nigel Wood, RATP Dev Transport London; Jon Eardley, Wrightbus
Woman of the Year Award (selected from the four category winners by an independent panel) – Sponsored by MCV Group
- Julie Hartley, Sales Director, Irizar UK
Louise Cheeseman, Chair of Women in Bus and Coach, said: “On behalf of all the team at Women in Bus and Coach, I would like to extend my congratulations to not only the inaugural award winners and shortlisted candidates, but everyone who was nominated. There are amazing women across bus, coach and community transport, and we will continue to work to break down barriers for women in the industry, offering a platform to share knowledge, celebrate success, and inspire the next generation of female transport leaders – together we are better.”