DR. Astrid Fontaine recognised as one of the 100 most influential women in the engineering sector

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• Report by Inclusive Boards names 100 women in influential leadership roles
• Fontaine is Bentley’s Board Member for #people, Digitalisation & IT
• Her career spans 25 years with three #automotive brands
• Academic roles include stint as a visiting professor focusing on Information Systems & Digital Enterprise

(Crewe, 17 October 2019)  Dr. #astridfontaine, Member of the Board for #people, Digitalisation & IT at #bentley Motors, has today been announced as one of the top 100 Most Influential Women in the Engineering sector.

The list, produced by board appointments firm Inclusive Boards in partnership with the Financial Times, features senior leaders who hold a range of roles across the engineering sector.  It will be officially released at the Inclusive Boards: Women in Engineering Leadership Conference on October 22nd.

Dr. #astridfontaine became Bentley’s first Member for the Board for #people, Digitalisation and IT in January 2018.  In this newly created role she combines leadership of Bentley’s human resources function with the delivery of the company’s digital transformation and IT services. 

Since joining #bentley, Astrid has driven the development of a new digital strategy that will see the piloting of new digital services. Her team also drives the digital transformation of business processes, enterprise product and customer solutions.

As an ambassador for women in STEM, Astrid has also introduced the company’s first digital technology apprenticeship programme. She is fostering Bentley’s company-wide diversity programme, and this year the business welcomes the highest ever intake of female trainees to the business, with 35% of all new apprentices and 63% of the digital technology apprentices being female.

Astrid comments:

“With women still underrepresented across the STEM sector, the Inclusive Board report is an important initiative and I’m delighted to have been featured in the list published today.

“Our industry offers a wide range of career options from #automotive design, engineering and manufacturing; through to information systems, technology and digitalisation, where I’ve been fortunate to be supported in the development of my own career.

“As #bentley celebrates its centenary and enters its next 100 years, my priority is to ensure we attract a diverse range of candidates into all of our functions and develop their potential as part of our journey to inclusiveness.” 

Inclusive Boards will also be publishing extensive research into engineering in the UK as well as the results of their diversity survey of the UK’s top 500 engineering firms by revenue.

Development Director Elizabeth Oni-Iyiola explains:

“The Engineering sector has an impact on almost every area of our day to day lives. Astrid and those featured today are role models who inspire those around them and demonstrate leadership and influence in the work that they do.”

Patrick Clarke, Director of Network Operations at UK Power Networks and judge for the list said:

“I am personally inspired but not at all surprised by the tremendous talent on the Women in Engineering list. Sadly there are still plenty of #people who will be surprised due to a mind-set which say Engineering equals males not females. I took part as a judge because I wanted to be inspired.”