4 April 2024
Networking to drive change and increase visibility
Interview with the founders of the women in Mobility Hub Baden
AT IT-TRANS the network Women in Mobility will once again host their get-together with top-tier speakers and female perspecivtes on public mobility. We interviews the three founders of the women in Mobility Hub Baden, Mareike Rehl: Head of Department, Freiburger Verkehrs AG, Annika Egloff Schoenen: CEO Fachverlag Dr. H. Arnold GmbH and Janine Stuchl: Vice President Global Marketing PTV Group – part of Umovity.
When founding the WiM Hub Baden, what was your motivation?
Mareike Rehl: At the WiM Hub Baden, we believe that mutual networking and inspiration can set a lot of things in motion. That's why we focus on the success stories and perspectives of the mobility industry, and have created a local platform in the Baden region for interdisciplinary and personal exchange.
Annika Egloff-Schoenen: I had heard about Women in Mobility, which was created in Germany back in 2016. I was fascinated by the idea of networking with women from different areas of the mobility industry on a national and regional level. There wasn't a hub in our region, Baden, so we decided to set one up.
Janine Stuchl: Diversity and networking are not only key drivers for change and innovation, but also mobility. As we have so many companies and experts from different mobility sectors and application areas in the Baden region, Women in Mobility offers the perfect platform for connecting and inspiring each other.
What, in your opinion, would lead to a major breakthrough in persuading more people to give up their cars?
Annika Egloff-Schoenen: We need an expansion of the rail network and reliable trains at attractive prices compared to other modes of transport. The opportunities offered by digitalisation must also be exploited. I am in favour of expanding night trains, too, which would mean that domestic flights within Germany would no longer be a topic of discussion.
Janine Stuchl: Mobility needs to be planned and implemented in a more multimodal and people-centred way in order to create reliable alternatives to the car – both in and out of the city. Data and technology are key factors in analysing the needs of various transport users, and rolling out the most suitable and efficient mobility mix using existing infrastructure.
When you talk to women in the industry, what are their experiences?
Mareike Rehl: Through networks such as WiM, many women in the industry feel supported and encouraged in their endeavours; futhermore, things are moving in the right direction with female faces becoming ever-more visible. That said, there is still room for improvement. In many areas of the mobility industry, women are still in the minority, especially in the technology sector and at decision-making level, which means that solutions are often not considered or implemented in a diverse way. Here, networking helps women to drive change and increase their own visibility.
WiM will once again be organising a Germany-wide network meeting at IT-TRANS 2024: What are your expectations of the event and the meeting, and what are you most looking forward to?
Janine Stuchl: Thanks to the global audience at IT-TRANS, we are looking forward to a wide-ranging exchange across industries and regions. We look forward to many new ideas, suggestions and open discussions on how mobility can be made even more people-centred - both at our network meeting and on the conference stage.
For more information about WiM and the WiM Meet-up at IT-TRANS 2024, please contact: baden@womeninmobility.org