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Senior Auto Trader executive is named Woman of the Year at IT awards

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Time 10:05 am, January 30, 2017

AUTO TRADER customer experience and operations director Alison Ross has been named Woman of the Year at this year’s Women in IT Awards.

In a ceremony opened by MI6 head Alex Younger, she was recognised for her outstanding contribution to driving diversity within two traditionally male-dominated industries: IT and automotive.

Ross has worked at Auto Trader for 14 years, holding a number of roles over that time. Most recently, she has been responsible for the overall customer experience of the business, internal operations (people and culture) and internal systems.


She was the key leader in driving through a complete transformation of Auto Trader’s culture over the past three years, as well as contributing to the wider Manchester community in which the business is based. These achievements included diversity workshops, women and family networks, teaching digital skills, and establishing partnerships with Women In Tech, Mums In Tech and Girl Geeks.

Commenting on her win, Ross said: ‘I have been lucky to have built my career with Auto Trader. As a company, we put the importance of diversity and inclusion at the heart of our culture, but things in the industry are changing fast. I would love to get the message out to girls and young women choosing their paths through education and employment that a career in technology is incredibly rewarding.’

Trevor Mather, Auto Trader’s chief executive, said: ‘All of us in the industry know that the automotive and digital worlds have a significant challenge with diversity. Traditionally, neither is perceived as an attractive industry to enter by women or minorities. That’s why we are fiercely proud of Alison’s long commitment to educating, inspiring and attracting more women into what is unquestionably an innovative and exciting sector.


‘Alison is a wonderful ambassador and role model to not only those of us at Auto Trader, but to our community in Manchester and the industry as a whole.’

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