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2025 Barbara Cox Woman of the Year

Nina Mirzaei — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 05:54:28 +0000

Nominations open for the annual Barbara Cox Award, recognising women in automotive

Cox Automotive Australia will announce the third annual Barbara Cox Award winner in September at the ‘Women in Automotive’ Signature Luncheon in Melbourne.
The winner will be chosen from a shortlist of four and will receive $5000 to further fund their professional development.
Men and women in the Australian automotive space are encouraged to nominate a colleague who demonstrates leadership and advocacy for greater representation.

Cox Automotive Australia (CAA) is taking nominations for the 2025 Barbara Cox Award, a celebration of high-performing women across the automotive sector put forward by their peers.

CAA is also thrilled to announce that the 2025 winner will be revealed at the Women in Automotive Signature Luncheon in Melbourne during September this year.

The annual award is named for the late Barbara Cox, a business pioneer and director of Cox Enterprises, Cox Automotive’s US-based parent company. It recognises women who demonstrate business leadership and community advocacy, as well as a commitment to advancing our industry.

Nominations are open to any woman working within the automotive industry across Australia. In addition to gaining broad recognition across the sector, the winner receives $5,000 to spend on her personal development.

The nominate a woman in automotive, visit CAA’s dedicated Barbara Cox Award homepage and follow the prompts. There’s a guide with tips to make your nomination as compelling as possible. The final winner to be decided in the lead up to the September announcement and will come from a shortlist of four finalists.

“It’s important to recognise the contributions of women in the automotive sector,” said CAA HR Director “Greater representation of women in automotive will broaden the talent pool and create significant benefits for the entire industry.”

The 2024 Barbara Cox Award winner was Shai Copelin, Automotive Product Manager for TAFE New South Wales. The recipient of the inaugural 2023 award was Eleni Mitakos, Founder of Galmatic, an organisation that runs car maintenance courses for women and teenagers.

To learn more, click here.

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2024 Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Finalists

Nina Mirzaei — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 05:48:50 +0000

Cox Automotive Australia will announce the annual Barbara Cox Award winner on March 14, picked from a nominated shortlist of high-achieving women in the automotive industry.

The 2024 nominees come from across the Australian automotive sector, with representatives from the dealer, OEM and educational sectors making the shortlist.

The four finalists are:

Chelsea Bowers – Mechanic at John Edwards Automotive
Shai Copelin – Product Manager of Automotive at TAFE NSW
Blaire Race – National Marketing Manager at IVECO Trucks

Odette Winnington – National Head of People & Culture at Autopact

This award is named for the late Barbara Cox, the business pioneer who was an owner and board of directors’ member of Cox Enterprises, Cox Automotive’s parent company.

The award recognises women who demonstrate business leadership and community advocacy, as well as a commitment to advancing our industry. Nominations are open to any woman working within the automotive industry across Australia.

In addition to gaining recognition, the winner receives $5,000 to spend on her personal development.

“It’s important to increase the recognition of the contributions of women in the automotive sector, which remains some way off when it comes to equal representation,” said Strategy and Marketing Director Mathew McAuley.

HR Director Silvia Balovcikova added: “The four shortlisted finalists all amply demonstrate the qualities we were looking for in our candidates; inspiring leadership, a commitment to innovation and contributing to their industry and their communities”.

The winner of the inaugural 2023 Barbara Cox Award was Eleni Mitakos, Founder of Galmatic, an organisation that runs car maintenance courses for women and teenagers.

Cox Automotive Australia wishes the four finalists best of luck and will announce the winner on March 14.

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2024 Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award

Nina Mirzaei — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 05:11:26 +0000

Cox Automotive Australia is pleased to announce nominations are open for the second annual Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award, designed to raise the profile of women who demonstrate commitment to innovation, leadership or community within the multifaceted automotive industry, and to recognise their achievements.

This award’s namesake, the late Barbara Cox, served as director of Cox Enterprises, Cox Automotive’s parent company in the USA, and we’re proud to recognise her legacy and her significant contribution to the automotive industry.

The winner of the inaugural 2023 Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award in Australia was Eleni Mitakos, Founder of Galmatic, an organisation that has been running car maintenance workshops and school incursions for girls since 2007.

The award is open to any woman involved in the Australian automotive industry. Nominations are open until 31st January 2024, and the winner, who will receive $5,000 to spend on her own personal development, will be announced during the week commencing 4th March 2024, to coincide with International Women’s Day.

If you’re ready to nominate, please fill in the form below.

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