International Women’s Day: The evolving role of women in fleet

By Lorna McAtear, deputy chair of the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP)

When it comes to writing about the role of women on this day in almost any area of life, the article that any woman drafts will follow a perhaps inevitable script.

Essentially, it will say that we have come a long way but also that we have a long way to go. This is no different.

Today, it’s true that some of the UK’s best-known and most respected fleet managers are women.

They are among, the most capable, the most progressive and the most recognised. In 2024, no-one in our industry would argue with that statement, I believe.

Compared to where we were perhaps 20 years ago, this is no small achievement.

However, I am also sure that the professional journey that most of those women have taken has often been much more difficult and convoluted than a man of similar ability would have had to follow.

To achieve their current status, they have often had to be much better than a man on a parallel path.

At the AFP, we are deeply aware of these facts and again, there is a mixed story to tell.

Since 2018, for example, we have trained more women than men. Also, it’s been a genuine surprise and pleasure to find that at some of the recent regular regional dinners that we hold for members, women have outnumbered men.

The feedback from a number of the women who have attended has also been a joy to hear, that the events have given them a renewed sense of confidence and purpose, that they have found a cohort of female fleet managers with whom they have much in common.

However, it’s also true that women remain underrepresented at just about every level of our activities, despite a sincere acceptance across the entire membership that it is important we champion their interests and involvement.

Many of our meetings, committees and other groups are still overwhelmingly male.

Our key initiative in response to this has been the creation of a special course. Called 'Accelerate – Women’s Voices in Fleet' it is designed to help women make their views and ideas heard in corporate environments, to give them confidence to speak on a “stage” and we have received some excellent feedback from those who have attended.

It’s a question of providing women with tools that enable them to overcome some of the obstacles that they face in order that they may move forward – and the training has been so successful many male colleagues have now also asked for a similar option.

My final thought for today is simply to encourage more women into the fleet sector and to join the AFP.

The role of the fleet manager has significantly changed and the vast array of skills now required lends itself well to a diverse mix and style of management. And despite the difficulties that I have mentioned above that are endemic to just about any sector, it remains an excellent career choice, and an environment in which there is a strong recognition that women are making a huge contribution that will further grow in the future.

I can almost promise that being part of the journey will sometimes be frustrating but also very rewarding, no matter who you are.