A senior engineer at Scotland’s largest bus operator, First Glasgow, has been named ‘Team Leader of the Year’ by her peers in the transport and logistics sector at a 
prestigious award ceremony.
Wendy Findlay, 45, is the only female senior fleet engineer in all of FirstGroup’s UK Bus business, and is a strong role model for women who in the transport industry which remains heavily male dominated.
The accolade from the 2016 FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards was awarded at a glittering event in London on Thursday (May 26).
Judges commented that Wendy was leading her team to excel in a way that was contributing greatly to First Glasgow’s success.
Born in Dundee, Wendy studied at Strathclyde University before joining the Armed Forces. After serving almost 20 years with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, repairing armoured military vehicles; she joined First Glasgow in September 2012.
Along with her team, Wendy is responsible for 950 vehicles operating in excess of 35 million miles per year out of Glasgow’s Caledonia Depot – the largest bus depot in Europe.
Managing Director of First Glasgow Fiona Kerr said: “Wendy’s approach to her work is to lead by example and her technical knowledge is second to none.
“First actively recruits leavers from all the Armed Forces and recognises the talent and leadership skills that are developed through a military career.
“Wendy has a clear view on the development and recruitment of apprentices and graduates and in the field of engineering, which attracts a predominantly male workforce, she not only inspires other women to progress by leading by example, but also proactively supports female colleagues through training and personal development initiatives.
“We are certainly proud to boast that the only female Senior Fleet Engineer in the whole of First’s UK operations works with us and it’s no small exaggeration to say she is one of First Glasgow’s key assets in improving diversity in our workplace.”
Commenting on her award, Wendy added: “I feel truly honoured just to have been selected as a finalist alongside the other candidates; hearing about their contributions to the industry made me proud just to be associated with them.
“To win the Team Leader award is a tremendous and wholly unexpected honour. I knew little about engineering before I went to university and nearly missed out on the amazing career I have had so far. This award gives me a chance to better mentor women in the industry and a much greater opportunity to raise the profile of the transport sector and specifically engineering as a career choice for women.
“There is absolutely nothing to prevent women achieving a full, fun and valuable career in any field of transport or logistics and I look forward to working with the everywoman team to better inform women about the opportunities available to them.”
The 2016 FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards were established nine years ago to highlight the achievements of inspirational role models across an industry which forms the backbone of the UK’s economy.
By championing women in what is traditionally a predominately male industry, everywoman and its partners hope to encourage more into the sector, to plug the skills-gap and ensure a more diverse, population-representative workforce.
The news comes just weeks after it was confirmed First Glasgow has shortlisted in three categories at the Scottish Transport Awards, one of the transport industry’s most respected award ceremonies.
As Scotland’s biggest bus operator, First Glasgow run services on more than 80 different routes, moving in excess of 107million customers each year.
For further information please contact Stephanie Todd, PR Manager, First Bus Scotland, 07525 866712, [email protected]
For further information on the 2015 FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards please contact Cultural Communications on 020 3286 6980 or email [email protected] or [email protected]
NOTES TO EDITORS
About everywoman
Founded in 1999, everywoman is a global membership organisation that champions the advancement of women. Our members include well-known companies looking to develop and retain a pipeline of female leaders, and women who are looking to advance themselves in organisations or their own business.
everywoman supports any woman at any stage in their career. For those women starting out or looking to progress their careers or businesses, the everywomanNetwork provides personal development resources, connections, advice and inspiration to address the issues we know women face. As they progress, our events and leadership programmes support the development of confident, capable and charismatic leaders. Promotion to the top echelons of senior management or being at the helm of your own large business brings with it a different set of challenges, ones addressed by everywomanClub. Our Award programmes and projects such as The Navigator and Modern Muse showcase role models who inform and inspire future leaders and the next generation, positioning the organisations they work for as ones with career opportunities for women. www.everywoman.com
About FTA
FTA represents the transport interests of companies moving goods by road, rail, sea and air. FTA members operate over 220,000 goods vehicles – almost half the UK fleet. In addition, they consign over 90 per cent of the freight moved by rail, and over 70 per cent of sea and air freight. You can find more about FTA online at fta.co.uk; follow FTA on twitter.com/newsfromfta and join the Association on facebook.com/ftafb. Help FTA raise the profile of the great industry which is transport and logistics by sharing its online content with family, social groups, colleagues and
FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is the leading transport operator in the UK and North America with revenues of more than £6.7 billion a year. We employ approximately 117,000 employees and transport around 2.5 billion passengers a year.
Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world… keeping people moving and communities prospering.
First UK Bus
FirstGroup is one of Britain’s largest bus operators with around a fifth of bus services outside London. A fleet of some 6,400 buses carries approximately 1.6 million passengers a day in a huge number of communities including 40 of the UK's largest towns and cities.
First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus operator in the city running services on more than 80 different routes. The company operates more than 900 buses and employs around 2,400 staff. For more information please visit www.firstgroup.com/glasgow