News & Opportunities

The Group Achievement Award honors a group of women who have made an exceptional contribution to helping women in the automotive and mobility industry. The 2025 honoree is Women@Gentex and the leadership team of Tristan Sweat, Allyse Bredeweg, Erica Hoodhood, Megan Jaromin, Dana Reynolds, and Naomi Zwyghuizen, with executive support from Angelica Velez. 

Women@Gentex is an inspiring business resource group made up of women from both salaried and production roles across the company. Formed just a few years ago, it has grown to 395 members in 2025. Its mission is to be a catalyst for women to achieve their personal and professional purpose in their careers, community, and workplace. 

The group drives women’s advancement through professional development initiatives, tuition-reimbursement awareness, coaching, mentoring, and company-wide opportunities for engagement. They also communicate through quarterly newsletters and bi-weekly DEI updates, while supporting community partners from Junior Achievement to STEM programs. Each year, they award a $2,500 scholarship to a local female STEM student. 

In 2025 alone, their impact has been exceptional: fundraising for Resilience to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence; volunteering with Kids’ Food Basket, coordinating a Habitat for Humanity build, leading the May Basket Drive, sponsoring the Junior Achievement Dream Fair, supporting United Way by packing hygiene kits for girls in the community, sponsoring the Society of Women Engineers, and hosting a global International Women’s Day event focused on Accelerating Action.

The Change Champion Award honors a company or ally that has contributed significantly to the acceptance and advancement of women in the automotive industry. The 2025 honoree is Martinrea International. 

Martinrea stands out as a company that has not only upheld its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion during challenging times, but has deepened it. Guided by their Golden Rule: treating every person with dignity and respect, they recognize that DEI is essential to innovation, growth, and long-term success. 

Their DEI strategy is driven from the very top: the CEO chairs the DEI Steering Committee and is a founding member of the CEO Coalition for Change, ensuring accountability at the highest levels. Through measurable KPIs, dedicated subcommittees, and partnerships with organizations such as Women in Manufacturing, CADIA, and AWAF, Martinrea continues to elevate opportunities for women across the industry. 

Their employee resource groups demonstrate this commitment in action. Women at Martinrea (W@M) has expanded globally, creating pathways for women in manufacturing through professional development, support networks, and leadership opportunities. Additional groups like YoPro and MindsMatter reinforce a culture of growth and well-being. 

Martinrea’s efforts reach across borders. They support women and families through inclusive programs for employees with disabilities, assistance for Ukrainian refugees in Canada, partnerships with shelters in Michigan to help individuals rebuild their lives, and scholarships for women in STEM in Spain. They also uplift the next generation through ongoing sponsorship of STEM initiatives such as FIRST Robotics and Women Rock Science. 

Representation matters at Martinrea: women now hold 33% of seats on the Board of Directors. And their commitment extends to the broader economy, with a supplier diversity program exceeding $230 million in purchases from more than 150 diverse-owned businesses. 

The Emerging Leader Award is presented to a woman in the first ten years of her career who has demonstrated outstanding performance, leadership, and a commitment to to community. The 2025 honoree, Jagruti Dhande, embodies all of these qualities and more. 

Jagruti is a rising engineering leader whose work blends technical excellence with purpose-driven impact. At Lucid Motors, she was entrusted with a critical, cross-functional lighting program for a 2026 electric vehicle, a program that was six months behind schedule and at risk of missing its launch. Through hands-on leadership, she unified more than five teams, mentored colleagues, reset priorities, and implemented clear execution plans. Her leadership turned a fragmented effort into a focused, high-performing program now back on track for an on-time launch. 

Earlier in her career at Rivian, Jagruti became the youngest program manager leading body closure systems for a $300 million electric delivery vehicle program. After launch, the vehicle captured nearly half the U.S. ecommerce delivery market and completed more than 200 million deliveries—all with the lowest carbon emissions per mile in the industry. She also drove a $10 million cost-saving initiative, demonstrating both strategic and operational excellence. 

Her leadership extends far beyond the automotive world. In rural India, she partnered with Samruddhi Agro Group to scale millet-based nutrition products, helping the company achieve exponential growth while reducing carbon emissions by more than 29,000 kilograms a year and conserving over 25,000 tons of water. She expanded their Gud2Eat product line, now sold in more than 150 stores, and supported women-led NGOs, special-needs children, and hospitals—all while creating new income opportunities for women. 

In 2024, she co-founded Greenurth, a sustainable lifestyle venture promoting clean-label products and education around environmental stewardship. She is also recognized globally as an author, journal reviewer, speaker, and national hackathon judge.