Dare To Be Different

26/11/2019

Dare To Be Different: A fantastic initiative set out to inspire the next generation of young women.

On Wednesday 6 November, Porsche Centre Reading teamed up with Porsche Cars Great Britain to host 100 girls aged between 11 and 14 years, welcoming the girls to the world of Porsche to showcase the many exciting career paths in automotive and motorsport.

The day started with a Pirelli Pit-Stop challenge that saw the students working together in teams to change a wheel against the clock.

Dare to Be Different’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Clare Morden, was then on hand to give lessons in life-saving resuscitation, including how to use a defibrillator.

Following the hands-on training, the girls were then given a full tour of the Porsche workshops and given an insight into the German manufacturers’ electrification programme.

Two of our own female personnel were also delighted to be involved. Our Aftersales Manager Louise Jenkins-Smith, and Porsche Technician Charlotte Lucas, shared some advice and insight into their careers at Porsche.

The final part of the day saw W Series and 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Pro-Am championship runner-up Esmee Hawkey speak with the girls, talking about her career and pose for photos in her Carrera Cup racecar.

“We were delighted to host Dare To Be Different at Porsche Headquarters and our Centre in Reading yesterday,” said Alasdair Jakes, Group Marketing Manager at Porsche Retail Group.

“The girls were highly engaged in all of the activities and it was great to observe a real sense of excitement as well as a growth in confidence in all of them throughout the day. Events like this are an absolute necessity if we are to encourage more females into automotive and I really hope that we have inspired and maybe even helped shape the future for one, two (or even more!) of the girls that were here.”

Susie Wolff, Dare To Be Different founder added, “First of all a huge thanks to Porsche for hosting our event at their superb HQ. It was wonderful for the girls to be able to get up close and personal with the road and race cars and have insight into the day-to-day workings of a manufacturer like Porsche. We are working hard to improve the numbers but there is still a considerable shortage of women across many disciplines in automotive and motorsport. It’s up to us to show them at a young age what potential career opportunities exist, especially when they are making important life choices. My hope is that one day one of these girls will say, “I remember that day – it’s what made me want to be a mechanic/designer/sales manager or whatever it is she chooses for her future.”

Discover more about the Dare to Be Different initiative.

Please call 0118 914 5448 or email info@porschereading.co.uk for more information about our event, or for any of your Porsche requirements.