Innovating Diversity: How Inclusivity Drives Automotive Progress

• Nissan engineer Panthipa Thongkaow challenges the male-dominated automotive industry, leveraging diversity to create cars renowned for their innovation, safety, and customer-centric design.

Amidst the bustling floor of Nissan Motor Asia Pacific in Thailand, the Exterior Trim Engineering team, led by Panthipa “Bew” Thongkaow, exemplifies innovation. Bew, an engineer and middle-level manager, defies the male-dominated automotive industry with her team’s diverse designs, balancing aesthetics with functionality and safety.

Bew’s team develops crucial exterior parts like grilles and bumpers, ensuring compliance with performance standards and safety regulations. By closely monitoring automotive trends, Bew tailors designs to meet consumer preferences, such as the popular Nissan Navara Black Edition, a project led by her team in Thailand.

Diversity and inclusion are core to Bew’s leadership, bringing unique perspectives that foster innovation. Despite challenges, she emphasizes the importance of listening and connecting with team members. Nissan’s commitment to diversity is evident, with many women in leadership roles across ASEAN, promoting an inclusive workplace.

Reflecting on her decade-long career, Bew highlights progress in gender diversity within engineering but acknowledges ongoing stereotypes and biases. She advocates for gender-neutral job descriptions to encourage more women in technology and engineering fields.

On International Women in Engineering Day, Nissan celebrates women like Bew, who inspire future generations of engineers, demonstrating that engineering has no gender boundaries.