International Women’s Day is an annual celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, and this year West Midlands Metro will mark their support of the day with a special event to honour the contributions of female colleagues.
The event will take place on the Monday following International Women’s Day (which takes place on Saturday 8th March with the event on Monday 10th March) at the West Midlands Metro depot at Wednesbury. It will focus on exploring ways to create more opportunities for women within the organisation and the communities it serves, in line with the 2025 International Women’s Day theme – Accelerate Change.
Sophie Allison, Managing Director of the West Midlands Metro and the organisation’s first female leader, commented: “Transport has traditionally been a male-dominated sector, but this has transformed in recent years with a significant number of women establishing themselves in a variety of roles, as tram drivers and light rail engineers to senior managers, as well as key customer-facing positions. We can’t afford to be complacent. It’s essential that we continuously explore ways to encourage more women to take advantage of the rewarding career opportunities available in Metro and the wider light rail sector.”
The event will feature motivational presentations from notable guests, including Dal Kalirai, Chief Executive of Women in Transport, and Katie Newell, from West Midlands Metro’s charity of the year, Black Country Women’s Aid.
Sophie concluded: “We’re looking forward to this special event, which promises to prove inspirational for the women who already contribute so much to Metro’s success and, at the same time, explore ideas on removing the barriers that women can face at work and across society in general.”