100 Leading Women: We can all be proud

In this special section, we celebrate 100 Leading Women from all areas of the automobile business.

Amazingly, two-thirds of these 100 remarkable women were not on the list of Leading Women in 2005, the last time Automotive News took such an in-depth look at the industry's most powerful and accomplished women. The change has been dramatic.

Since 2005, of course, the automobile business has weathered more change than we had seen over the previous several decades.

Nearly half of the 2005 Leading Women have left the automobile business for jobs in other industries. And many have been directly affected by the financial crisis of the past few years.

But the survivors are succeeding and setting high standards for executives for years to come.

There are challenges to being a female executive in the automobile industry. These women have all faced them. In manufacturing, marketing, retailing and racing, there will continue to be barriers to a level playing field. But as many of the Leading Women have told us, there are a striking number of improvements in today's industry.

We have interviewed all of the 100 executives and are delighted to showcase their success.

As you will see on the next 50 pages, our Leading Women speak candidly. Their accomplishments are notable and deserve recognition. They are at the forefront of thousands of successful female executives in the auto industry.

We salute the 100 Leading Women and all the other successful women in the auto industry. This group was chosen from an amazing field of women. We'll celebrate their achievements with a special evening at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit on Tuesday, Sept. 21. I hope you'll join us in paying tribute. To purchase tickets, visit autonews.com/100leadingwomen.

We look forward to the continued evolution of this industry.

KEITH E. CRAIN,
Editor-in-Chief
Automotive News

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