For International Women’s Day 2024, we interviewed each of our women at CCM. To learn more about them, their past and how they find working in this automotive arena.
Get ready to party with Hannah, our Sales and Marketing Manager! Winner of the IGA Digital Engagement Award, Hannah describes herself as the ‘personality hire’. Known as the prosecco princess/only northerner in the business, her love for celebration is contagious.
Watch the video of all our lovely ladies below, or read Hannah’s transcript below.
Hannah, tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Hannah, I’m 31 and I’m the Sales and Marketing Manager here. I’ve worked for CCM for about four years and had about 10 years in marketing.
And what did you dream of doing when you were a little girl?
I absolutely love animals and so I always thought I’d be a vet but I’m kind of squeamish as well so no haha, that didn’t work out.
Do you find it difficult to get involved or integrate yourself in such a male-dominated field?
It was a little bit scary at first coming here but everyone was so kind and welcoming that I found it pretty easy to get on. I work quite by myself so I think a lot of people didn’t really know what I was doing here when I first started however, now that I’ve been here for four years I feel like I can have my voice heard and everyone’s used to me being around and being loud and annoying.
Do you feel supported in your career goals here?
Absolutely. Our managers are fantastic here. I’ve had issues before where I’ve been put on to projects I didn’t like. As soon as I said I didn’t like them, they pulled me off and they’ve let me go in a direction that I want to go in.
Have you heard of International Women's Day before?
I have heard of it before but I’ve never worked at a company that does anything for it so it’s really nice to see that CCM are getting fully involved. Last year Tina sent us a lovely bunch of flowers and a really kind personalized thank you note to us all so fingers crossed we get something similar again!
Do you have any women in your life who inspire you?
Yeah, my mum, my grandma, my sister, my closest friends. It’s just really nice that all these women we see go through so much stuff in their own lives, are still able to be happy, still able to be kind and supportive to others around them. It’s just something to look up to.
Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman?
Yes, in previous roles. I’ve definitely had managers who get a little bit handsy which is really uncomfortable, I’m sure lots of other women could relate to that. I feel like I’ve been spoken over in meetings and had my ideas swiped, but luckily here, it’s not really an issue. We’ve got a great female leader so I think she set the tone for everyone that, you know, women have ideas and they should be listened to.
This year's International Women's Day theme is #InspireInclusion. What does this mean to you?
It’s all about everyone being involved. No matter your background, where you come from, what you doing, we all have a voice and we should all be heard.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start a career in automotive?
I would say to go for it! I never thought I’d end up in this industry but it’s great! Everyone’s really really supportive and there are so many different avenues that you could go into
so, just have a bash!