Natasha Callister entered the automotive industry in 2019 and it didn’t take long to observe and understand how under-represented women were within the industry.

"As I engaged with businesses throughout the sector they began sharing with me the challenges they faced in trying to recruit women to work within their organisations and also in attracting female clientele. Business owners wanted to understand how they could make their vehicle dealerships and workshop environments more inviting and comfortable, with many understanding that increasing the representation of women was not just the right thing to do but it also made smart business sense. For me personally a large part of my career has been in male dominated industries and I am also a full-time working mother of two young children so I know first-hand the challenges women can face but also the tools, support frameworks and strategies that have helped me progress my career into senior levels. It was this combination which made me believe this was a challenge I could (and should) throw my energy behind. I reached out to my networks across the sector with the idea and together we formed a collective known as Women in Automotive New Zealand."