Winners 2016

When Woodhouse first started in purchasing at Ford, more than 30 years ago, a colleague told her a senior purchasing executive had mused whether there would ever be female buyers. “I imagine it was almost beyond his comprehension,” she says.

Woodhouse has emphatically proved that women can make it in the tough world of purchasing. In her current, high‐ranking role based at Ford’s global headquarters in Michigan, USA, she is in charge of the company’s global purchasing for everything to do with engines, transmissions and the driveline. The job is key to the profitability and reputation of any maker: a single car consists of thousands of parts bought from external suppliers, and car makers’ slim profits depend on purchasing teams negotiating keen prices while ensuring that quality is maintained.

Woodhouse chose to go into purchasing while searching for a career in business after graduating from the University of Southampton with a degree in history. She had relatives who had worked at British Leyland and was receptive to the automotive industry.

Ford snapped her up as a graduate trainee and she rose through the ranks, holding key positions including programme purchasing manager for larger cars and director of programme purchasing for Ford of Europe. She took up her latest role in 2011.

Woodhouse says the US side of the company has led the way for women at Ford. “When Ford first went more global, some years ago, it was notable to me how many more women there were in more senior roles within Ford in North America,” she says. “I think this has helped us in Europe,” she says. “It has demonstrated that women are equally capable of doing senior roles.”

She says nowadays men fully accept women on purchasing teams, but she advises women wanting to advance in the industry to step forward more. “Women often have a tendency to sit at the side of the room or at the back. I would encourage them to literally come to the table so that they can participate more fully and be engaged.”