Automotive Has a Talent Problem. How Can We Fix It? | with Stephanie May of Women Automotive Network
The Garage by SonatusShow Notes
In a live episode from AutoTech Detroit, Stephanie May, director of the Women Automotive Network, discusses the organization's mission to attract and retain female talent in the automotive sector, which currently sees only 20% of its workforce as women. With 40,000 international members, the network offers mentorship and networking opportunities to combat issues like loneliness and the lack of role models that many women face. The conversation highlights the importance of work-life balance for younger generations and the need for more women in senior roles. Upcoming events, including a collaboration in Mexico City, aim to further engage and empower women in the industry.
More from The Garage by Sonatus
In this episode of The Garage, host John Heinlein interviews safety expert Phil Koopman on the complex challenges of scaling autonomous vehicle fleets from hundreds to hundreds of thousands. Koopman identifies key hurdles, including mass software failures, broad safety definitions, infinite edge cases, and legal accountability gaps, stressing that machine learning's lack of common sense requires human oversight for rare events.
Recorded live at Auto Tech 2026, host John Heinlein interviews SAE International’s Tim Yerdon on how standards bodies unite industry competitors to solve billion-dollar challenges in software-defined and autonomous vehicles. The conversation highlights key initiatives like the Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium and SAE's efforts to balance open-source collaboration with technology differentiation.
Recorded live at Auto Tech 2026, this episode of The Garage features ZF North America President Ramiro Gutierrez explaining how software is transforming traditional chassis hardware like steering and suspension into dynamic, customizable driving experiences. He highlights how software-defined vehicles enable hardware reuse, over-the-air performance updates, and major innovations like steer-by-wire technology.
Recorded live at Auto Tech 2026, this episode features AutoMobility Advisors' Chip Goetzinger discussing the rise of software-defined vehicles, embedded connectivity, and changing OEM-supplier relationships. He also explores emerging automotive trends like vehicle commerce and digital identity, along with insights from his background as an amateur race car driver.
Recorded live at AutoTech 2026, host John Heinlein speaks with Stellantis's Mel Roberts on how AI and small language models (SLMs) are transforming the automotive user experience. They discuss the strategic deployment of AI in vehicles, focusing on local processing for low latency, predictive maintenance, and balancing physical controls with digital UX design.