Volvo Trucks North America Honored for its Leadership Supporting the Advancement of Women in the Trucking Industry
Volvo Trucks North America demonstrated its commitment to increasing gender diversity in the traditionally male-dominated commercial trucking industry with a significant sponsorship and presence at the 2023 Accelerate! Conference & Expo, hosted by the Women in Trucking Association, November 5-8, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. During the conference, female representatives from Volvo Trucks accepted prestigious awards for 2023 Top Companies for Women to Work for in Transportation and 2023 Top Women to Watch in Transportation by Redefining the Road, the official magazine of the Women in Trucking Association (WIT).
“This year, Volvo Trucks increased its sponsorship commitment to the highest level to help spotlight the vital contributions of women across the transportation industry. As we navigate towards a more inclusive future, we are working to empower more women to drive their careers to greater success," said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America. “We are thrilled to accept the award that acknowledges our commitment to provide women with enhanced opportunities for success at every level. We take immense pride in the numerous successful women representing Volvo at the conference, sharing their knowledge and experiences."
During the WIT conference, Iris Austin, people and culture director for Volvo Trucks North America, accepted the 2023 Top Companies for Women to Work for in Transportation award on behalf of the company. The annual award highlights the top companies that are exceptional workplaces for women in all roles of the transportation industry, including support of gender diversity, accommodating family and life balance, offering competitive compensation, benefits, continued training, and more.
Volvo Trucks also had two panel speakers during the three-day conference and expo that was anticipated to attract more than 2,000 transportation professionals.
Elizabeth McMillian, southeast district sales manager for Volvo Trucks North America, was recognized as one of the 2023 Top Women to Watch in Transportation by Redefining the Road, WIT’s official magazine. According to WIT, more than 80 women in a wide array of roles – ranging from HR/talent management professionals, technicians, safety pros, and professional drivers to C-suite and board room executives – have been recognized on the basis of career accomplishments in the past 18 months and ways in which they have managed their careers to provide value to the enterprises that employ them. McMillian shared her success story, as well as inspiration and practical tips in the How Women Rise – Stories from Top Women to Watch panel.
Katy Link, electromobility sales manager, West region for Volvo Trucks North America, participated in A Pivotal Moment in Trucking: Battery-Electric Vehicles panel to provide insights about the truck industry’s transition to zero emissions and the momentum in adoption of battery-electric vehicles, including the Volvo VNR Electric truck. Volvo Trucks was a pioneering manufacturer in the delivery of Class 8 battery-electric commercial trucks in North America in December 2020 and has now delivered trucks to customers throughout the U.S. and Canada to operate in their daily freight routes. Link is one of many women involved in this sustainability transformation and supports fleets in and around California with their electrification journey.
Margarita Mann, director, complete vehicle at Volvo Group Trucks North America was honored by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) with the Patent Recognition Award for her impact on SWE and the broader engineering community. The Patent Recognition Award recognized Mann for her hydrogen fuel cell inventions having novel applications — mobile electric vehicle direct current (DC) fast chargers and power generators. These technologies are crucial in accelerating the adoption of electrification in transportation and in making clean energy and power available and accessible in a variety of environments and in many underserved communities.