Over 70 professionals from high-performance engineering, legal, education, motorsport, and public sectors attended milestone event
Silverstone Park has officially launched its Women’s Innovation Network (WIN), a bold new initiative aimed at tackling gender imbalance across business leadership and engineering roles. The launch event, held at Silverstone Park in June 2025, brought together over 70 women and men from across the region’s high-performance and innovation-focused sectors.
Attendees included professionals from motorsport, engineering, legal, education, business consultancy, and local government – all coming together to support a programme designed to amplify women’s voices, foster collaboration, and inspire leadership across traditionally male-dominated industries.
The panel discussion featured five leading voices driving change in their fields:
- Diva Patang, CEO, Diva Group
- Alice Ball, Partnerships Manager, Ahead Partnership
- Dr Cristiana Pace, Founder & CEO, Enovation Consulting
- Susan Robson, CEO, Women’s Engineering Society
- Chantal-Lawren Welch, Marketing Manager, Silverstone Park
Together, the panellists shared insights on the barriers women face in leadership and business ownership, and the systemic changes needed to build more inclusive innovation ecosystems.
“Although our original focus was engineering, it quickly became clear that women across many sectors face similar challenges,” said Chantal-Lawren Welch. “The Women’s Innovation Network exists to open up conversations, share lived experiences, and build a community that actively champions women in leadership, whether in the boardroom or the engineering bay.”
The event follows the success of Silverstone Park’s longstanding Schools Programme, which in 2022–23 facilitated more than 6,500 meaningful encounters between young people and industry professionals. The new WIN programme represents a natural evolution – extending efforts beyond the classroom and into the workplace, career progression, and leadership development.
Delivered in collaboration with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) and Ahead Partnership, WIN draws on Silverstone Park’s growing ecosystem of innovation-led businesses, as well as school partnerships with Kingsthorpe College, Sponne School, The Buckingham School and Northampton School for Girls.
A Cross-Sector Commitment to Change
Attendees at the WIN launch event represented a broad cross-section of industries, including:
- Motorsport & Advanced Engineering (TWG Cadillac F1, Aston Martin F1, Saietta, Silverstone Composites)
- Technology & Innovation (Total Control Pro, Air Equipment)
- Professional Services (Freeths, EMW Law, HCR Law, Mills & Reeve LLP, The Right Track Consultancy)
- Education & Skills (MK College, Oxford Brookes, Warwick University)
- Public Sector & Non-Profits (West Northants Council, Northamptonshire Community Foundation, IChemE)
- Creative & Strategic Services (ActifHr, T King Associates, The Collective Network, HN Communications)
This diverse representation reflects the wide relevance and urgent need for gender-focused programmes that empower women across all parts of the innovation economy.
About the Women’s Innovation Network
Launched in June 2025, WIN is an inclusive initiative that aims to inspire and support women in business and engineering. Rather than presenting fixed solutions, the network encourages roundtable dialogue and shared experiences to better understand the structural challenges women face in leadership and business ownership.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Carl McKellar
T: 07786 138905
E: carl@cmcmedia.co.uk
Further details and launch video:
https://silverstone-park.com/collaborate/womens-innovation-network/