Ford UK’s new chief engineer Andrew Brumley handed his leadership role to Imperial College student Tatiana for a day as part of the ‘Girls Takeover’ initiative.

Tatiana and Andrew Brumley

Brumley, chief engineer for vehicle hardware engineering, now leads the integration of physical and digital attributes in future Transit and Tourneo vehicles, based at Ford’s Dunton campus in Essex.

To provide a fresh perspective on the evolving field of intelligent EVs, Brumley temporarily passed his responsibilities to Tatiana for a day, in partnership with Plan International’s Girls Takeover. This initiative is part of Ford’s broader strategy to boost the uptake of STEM subjects among the next-generation workforce through its four major education outreach partnerships.

Reflecting on her experience at Ford, Tatiana stated: “Girls tend to avoid going into STEM, not because they don’t have the skills to do so, but because they don’t see other women doing it and they think it’s not their place.”

She further emphasised: “I think it’s important to be vocal about the fact that anyone can do it and with hard work and dedication, anyone can go into STEM roles.”

Brumley, who has been with Ford since 1992 and previously served as director of powertrain and vehicle architecture engineering in China, said the automotive sector needs new skills and engineering specialisms, driven by the shift towards electrification and the integration of new software and services in vehicles.

He commented: “Today, mechanical engineering graduates like me remain a part of Ford product development recruits but are now among programmers and software specialists, data engineers, and other skills required for future innovative Transits. Tatiana brought a glimpse of how my role is emerging, with the valuable insights fresh eyes always bring.”

This initiative is part of Ford’s ongoing commitment to addressing gender disparities in STEM fields. Research by Plan International shows that almost half (49%) of young women aged 18 to 24 do not see senior leadership roles in STEM as attainable, and 39% feel they would not be taken seriously in this sector.

In addition to the ‘Girls Takeover’ initiative, Ford’s partnership with Greenpower, Code First Girls, Primary Engineer, International Women in Engineering Day, and alongside nine other STEM outreach programs is instrumental in nurturing new talent. These efforts are aimed at equipping the future workforce with skills in programming, software development, and data engineering, which are critical for developing intelligent electric vehicles.

Last year, Ford UK’s managing director and human-centred design director roles were temporarily filled by 19- and 18-year-olds, whose insights influenced the Ford Transit Nugget campervan’s social campaign and Ford’s presentation at the Global Innovation Forum in London.

This year, Tatiana took the chair to explore Ford Pro ecosystem, touring the Ford Liive Centre with Owen Gregory, director of Ford Pro systems, and discussed the brake system in commercial vehicles with the product development team.

Rose Caldwell, CEO at Plan International UK, said: “Tatiana’s takeover of Andrew’s high-level role in the engineering and automotive industry is an inspiring celebration of the incredible potential of girls. It’s fantastic to see Ford meaningfully engaging with young women and giving them space to have their voices heard. Male-dominated industries must continue to actively encourage girls and young women to pursue career paths in their sector.”