Julia Muir, Founder and Chief Executive of Gaia Innovation, and Founder UK Automotive 30% Club has been listed in the top 100 on the FT and HERoes Champions of Women in Business 2018 list.
Julia’s work through the social enterprise Gaia Innovation encourages youngsters, particularly girls and those from disadvantaged communities, to aim for careers in growth sectors such as automotive, engineering, space, health and technology “Our Inspiration for Innovation programme is free of charge to state schools and enables students to meet employers and visit their workplaces to find out more about the jobs of the future”
“We want to raise students’ awareness of all the available opportunities. We also advise schools and on the need to challenge gender segregation in subject choices and apprenticeship pathways, and include teachers and parents in visits to employers to dispel myths and outdated views about male-dominated workplaces.”
Julia’s career started as a graduate trainee in an automotive retailer and then she spent many years at Ford Motor Company in the UK and Germany, and also lectured on the automotive related degree programmes at Loughborough University. She is the founder of the UK Automotive 30% Club, a voluntary group of Presidents, CEOs and MDs from the manufacturers, retailers and suppliers of the UK automotive industry, who are committed to having organisational cultures within which women thrive.“Our goal is to fill least 30% of key leadership roles with women by 2030 so we need more women to apply for jobs in the sector. We show young women that our member companies are great places to work through campaigns such as our partnership with Speakers for Schools, and also our Inspiring Automotive Women Day, which this year will include inviting 100 girls to VW Group National Learning Centre and sending over 50 female automotive volunteers to visit schools across the UK.”
Julia’s career advice is “Do what you are passion about and what you are good at. But also do what you will get well paid for, and what society needs. That way your skills and talents will always be in demand, and you will always be in well paid secure employment that makes a positive contribution to the world.”