QWAI’24

QWAI'24

The inaugural Queen’s Women in Automotive and Motorsport Conference was an incredible success, bringing together passionate delegates, industry leaders, and inspiring speakers. With engaging workshops and strong sponsorship support, the event highlighted the impact of women in the industry and set the stage for future growth and opportunities.

Conference Highlights

Delegates

Guests

Keynote Speakers

Workshops

Erika Hoffman

Canadian Race Car Driver

Erika is a Canadian race car driver who won the 2022 Formula Women International driver search competition and raced in the UK with the GT Cup team. She now leads Slate Racing, a Canadian team of female drivers, engineers, and mechanics.

Erika Hoffman

Canadian Race Car Driver

Erika is a Canadian race car driver and winner of the 2022 Formula Women International driver search competition. Erika grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, and started her racing career at Calabogie Motorsports Park in the GT Challenge Championship. In 2021, Erika competed in the Formula Woman Competition where she made it to the final round and earned a spot on the GT Cup team. Throughout 2022, Erika drove across the UK for the GT Cup team running a McLaren 570s GT4 car. Following this, Erika was chosen to represent Canada in the FIA International Rallystar Championship. Within the last year, Erika has begun a new project as the founder of Slate Racing, a Canadian racing team comprised of female drivers, engineers, and mechanics.

Caroline Hargrove

Chief Technical Officer of Ceres Power

Caroline Hargrove is the CTO of Ceres Power and former CTO of McLaren Technologies. She played a key role in developing McLaren’s F1 simulator and now focuses on big data and technology applications in various industries.

Caroline Hargrove

Chief Technical Officer of Ceres Power

Caroline Hargrove is the CTO of Ceres Power and the former CTO of McLaren Technologies. Growing up in Montreal, Caroline attended Queen's Engineering before heading to the University of Cambridge for her PhD in computer modeling of granular materials. Following her schooling, she joined McLaren in 1997 within vehicle dynamics, where she was responsible for the McLaren F1 simulator for the next 10 years. Caroline was an essential part of the testing and development of the first F1 racing simulator and CFD analysis. As one of the founders of McLaren Applied Technologies, she was appointed Technical Director in 2013, focusing on big data and the implementation of McLaren technologies in various industries, including medicine and Olympic athletes.

Jessica Benevides

Motorsports Manager at FEL Motorsports Inc

Jessica is the Manager at FEL Motorsports, overseeing top-level racing series in Canada. She played a key role in launching the SCCC and RCC, which run a 12-race championship across Ontario and Quebec.

Jessica Benevides

Motorsports Manager at FEL Motorsports Inc

Jessica is the Manager at FEL Motorsports, the top-level motorsport series in Canada, which runs the Sports Car Championship Canada and the Radical Cup Canada, both presented by Michelin. Jessica graduated from the Business Administration Marketing Program at Niagara College and has been working in the automotive industry for five years. She started working with FEL as a project coordinator in automotive training events, working closely with premium brands such as Audi and Volkswagen before starting the Motorsport program in 2021 alongside FEL President Chris Bye. In the last three years, Jessica has been a key part in successfully launching the SCCC and RCC, which both run a 12-race championship in Ontario and Quebec, making stops at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Honda Indy Toronto, Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, and others.

Stephaine Thompson and Nancy Watts

Bridging the Gender Divide: Engineering Skills for High-Performance Teams

Stephanie Thompson, a Technical Manager at GM and founder of STEM by Steph, is a four-time Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women awardee dedicated to manufacturing engineering, project management, and empowering women in STEM. Nancy Watt, an international speaker and Second City-trained improviser, applies social science and improv techniques to enhance communication and collaboration in leadership and education.

Stephaine Thompson and Nancy Watts

Bridging the Gender Divide: Engineering Skills for High-Performance Teams

This highly interactive workshop is presented by Stephanie Thompson (STEM by Steph) and Nancy Watt (Nancy Watt Communications). The workshop explores effective communication strategies critical in competitive engineering settings. Participants will learn from real life case studies about the importance of teamwork and communication in high-pressure environments. The workshop underscores the role of communication in fostering efficient, integral, and successful organizations, especially in the context of gender dynamics in tech and motorsports.” Within the last year, Erika has begun a new project as the founder of Slate Racing, a Canadian racing team comprised of female drivers, engineers, and mechanics.

Magna International

Women Within The Industry

Magna, Canada’s largest automotive manufacturer, operates 344 manufacturing and 104 R&D facilities across 29 countries. With specialized groups in exteriors, powertrain, electronics, and more, Magna fosters innovation, diversity, and female empowerment, sponsoring QWAI to support women in automotive careers.

Magna International

Women Within The Industry

This speed-dating style workshop provides participants with the opportunity to engage with eight representatives from various fields at Magna, including business, law, management, HR, and engineering. Attendees will rotate through rounds of advice, feedback, and networking with these industry professionals. The workshop will begin with a general presentation by Magna HR, offering key insights and strategies for resume and interview success. The representatives participating in the workshop and their roles at Magna include: Chi Tran (Talent Management Specialist) Valentina Carrillo (Quality Manager) Kathryn Kenny (Senior Specialist, Talent Acquisition) Kerilee Graboski (Operations Manager) Nicole Riener (Director, Real Estate Transactions & Legal Affairs) Dan McCullough (Assistant General Manager) Jamie Valcamp (General Manager) Bronwyn Wardhaugh (Human Resources Generalist) Savannah Adams (Human Resources Student) This event offers a valuable opportunity to gain professional advice, enhance career readiness, and expand networking connections within the industry.