Winners 2024

Vehicle development 2024

Ruth Nic Aoidh reports directly to JLR CEO Adrian Mardell and is responsible for overseeing all vehicle programmes at JLR, from the product strategy phase to delivery. She took up the role in April 2023 after eight years at McLaren Automotive, where she started in a legal capacity, drawing on her law background. She then moved to an executive director role at the supercar maker, leading business activities such as procurement, commercial and legal. She also led the establishment of the McLaren Composites Technology Centre.

After leaving McLaren in 2022, she became interim CEO of Paralympics Ireland, having served as a strategic advisor overseeing strategy for the team’s preparations for the 2024 and 2028 games. She also sat as a council member for the UK government Automotive Council and non-executive director of trade body the SMMT. She is currently on the advisory board of Be the Business, a non-profit organisation focused on improving small and medium-sized businesses. She holds a master’s degree in law from University College Dublin.

Vehicle development 2024 nominees

Madalina Marcu, McLaren Automotive

Madalina Marcu is responsible for ensuring the definition and delivery of production quality targets at the sports car maker, a job she was promoted to in 2023. She joined the company in 2019 as the perceived quality manager having moved from JLR, where she was perceived quality attribute manager. Madalina started out in quality at Renault Group in 2010 where she developed and implemented a new perceived quality team in her native Romania, home of the Dacia brand.

Sally Leathers, McLaren Automotive

Sally Leathers won a promotion in 2023 at the Woking-based sports car manufacturer to oversee the development of software as well as the electric/electronic architecture within the car. She joined McLaren in 2021 initially to head up software after moving from Aston Martin, where she was chief electrical and electronics engineer, reporting to the chief technical officer. She was promoted to this role in 2016 after a year working as powertrain electrification manager in which she established a team to work on electric motors for Aston. She joined the company in 2003 from Prodrive, where she was principal engineer. She started in automotive in 1996 working as a graduate trainee for Cosworth.

Renee Howells, Aston Martin

Renee Howells’ new position at Aston Martin is to oversee project management and planning for the sports car company. She won the position after impressing as head of front engine programmes, leading the team developing the front-engined GT cars including the new Vantage, DB12 and the DBS replacement due later this year. She took this position in 2020 after establishing her credentials as a sports car expert with roles such as senior vehicle line manager for the DB11 and DBS. She joined Aston Martin in 2003 as a program timing analyst on the DB9 and Vantage.

Lisa Jay, JLR

Lisa Jay holds the key responsibility at JLR for all aspects of delivering new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport vehicle projects from inception to launch. She’s been in the post since 2021 when she was promoted from senior programme manager. Lisa joined JLR in 2012 to project manage the launch of the Jaguar F-Type, a position she won after working at Aston Martin for nearly nine years, finishing as programme manager for the DBS, DB9 and Rapide cars.

Elizabeth Hill, JLR

Elizabeth Hill oversees the development of body and chassis for JLR models, a post she’s held since 2019. She was promoted after a spell as chief product engineer gained in 2016 after moving from architecture planning director, responsible for developing the firm’s large SUV strategy. She joined JLR in 2002 in the manufacturing division of JLR’s Solihull plant after graduating with a BA in maths from the University of Nottingham in 1997. Her first automotive role was a graduate trainee at LucasVarity diesel systems.

Edith Holland, Horiba MIRA Ltd

Edith Holland is responsible for a portfolio of functional safety customer projects at the UK automotive testing centre and has taken the lead on Safety Of The Intended Functionality (SOTIF), a key component of automated driving. Edith started in the industry as a graduate engineer at Jaguar in 1998 and worked on functional safety projects there until she joined MIRA in her current role in 2019. She holds a first-class degree in electrical and electronic engineering from Bristol University.

Sarah Haslam, Ford Otosan

Sarah Haslam is a senior engineer embedded at the Ford Otosan plant in Turkey, where she acts as a key link between development of new Transit models in the UK and their start of production. She was previously chief program engineer for software and connectivity for vans, a position she won in 2021. Prior to that she was chief engineer for Ford of Europe’s engine development, a promotion in 2018 after impressing as product vehicle team manager overseeing production quality of the Kuga SUV and Transit Connect van. Haslam joined Ford in 1992 after graduating with a mechanical engineering degree. She was appointed an MBE in 2020 for her promotion of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) careers for women.

Lisa Reeves, Volvo

Lisa Reeves was promoted in 2020 to lead Volvo’s interior design programme after impressing as design manager when she worked on the interior of the Polestar 2 electric car and the Volvo V60 and S60 range. She moved to Volvo in 2014 from Bentley where she was an interior designer, creating production designs for the Mulsanne and second-generation Continental GT and Flying Spur. She also created interior design proposals for Bugatti. Prior to joining Bentley in 2007 she worked at Jaguar Land Rover as a computer design modeller. She joined the company in 2004 on a graduate scheme after gaining a first-class degree in transport design from Coventry University.

Michelle Mortiboys, Aptiv

Michelle Mortiboys moved to this key automotive supplier in early 2020 focusing on wiring harnesses and in 2021 her role was expanded to include management of European programmes. She moved to Aptiv from her previous role as head of automotive programmes at Dyson, which she joined from Jaguar Land Rover in 2019. Her 31-year career at JLR peaked as manufacturing programmes director for its Nitra, Slovakia, plant but she was also vehicle line director for Special Vehicle Operations.

Emma Deutsch, Nissan

Emma Deutsch is now head of Nissan’s European test and development facilities in Cranfield, UK, reporting directly to David Moss, Nissan’s head of R&D for the wider AMIEO region that includes Europe. The promotion came after impressing a deputy director of the facility near Milton Keynes, a position she won in 2021. Prior to that she led a team of 15 managing the body-in-white, chassis, doors, water ingress and vehicle security teams. She joined Nissan in 1999 from tractor maker Massey Ferguson where she started her career as a graduate engineer in 1993.

Siobhan Hughes, Jaguar

Siobhan Hughes has been responsible for the look and feel of Jaguar interiors since 2015. She joined JLR during Ford’s ownership and gained experience both at the US brand’s design HQ in Michigan, working on truck interiors, and also at its central London Ingeni studio. At Jaguar, Siobhan has also worked at its advanced design studio to create influential concepts such as the C-X75 supercar.