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Automotive is an industry defined by constant transformation, yet relationships still sit at the heart of progress. Careers, decisions, and opportunities continue to move through people.
In April's Women Automotive Network virtual event, The Power of Networking: How Your Connections Can Turn into a Community, hosted by Stephanie May, Claudette Bashi, Senior Account Executive at S&P Global Mobility, and Anne Kröll of Stabilus explored how professional connections turn into relationships that last.
Live polls throughout the session revealed a familiar pattern. Most attendees typically stay in touch with only three to five people after a large event. Confidence levels varied widely, with many admitting the hardest moments were not walking into the room, but approaching a group already deep in conversation, or finding the right time to follow up without feeling transactional.
Yet across the conversation, one theme held firm. The community is not looking for huge amounts of contacts. It is looking for deeper relationships, the kind that support, challenge, and grow with you throughout your career.
Claudette framed it clearly:
"That connection starts to convert and transition to a relationship, and that's how you build your community. You have them in your corner."
For many leaders, networking is no longer about volume. It is about depth.
Both speakers agreed that the window after an event matters far more than the event itself. Claudette uses a 48 hour rule, sending a short LinkedIn message or text that references something specific from the conversation. Anne does the same, starting with a LinkedIn connection and allowing the follow up to reveal whether the relationship has genuine potential.
The tip for leaders: a generic "great to meet you" rarely travels far. A sentence that shows you listened almost always does.
Anne shared a memorable example. A week after meeting Melanie Schutin from Flex at an event, she was flying to Budapest and passed a Flex production line on her way to the airport. She took out her phone and sent Melanie a message from Budapest. That small gesture turned a first meeting into a lasting connection.
The principle is simple: remembering a detail, whether it's a colleague's family, a recent promotion, or a shared travel route, signals genuine interest. It separates a contact from a relationship.
Claudette described her networking superpower as listening for what someone is really trying to achieve, rather than what they say on the surface. Anne echoed the same philosophy, noting that during events she often speaks less and listens more, which is where the most valuable information tends to surface.
Both leaders emphasised that networking with generosity, thinking first about how you can help, creates the conditions for trust to build naturally. The return, as Claudette put it, tends to take care of itself.
"I believe in networking with generosity, where it's not one way. I always try to think about it as, how could I help first? And in my experience, when I lead the way, then the return just takes care of itself."
Virtual events spark the conversation. The summits are where our community comes together in person.
There is something powerful about being in the room with people who share your ambition. Our 2026 summits bring women, allies, and organisations from across the global automotive and mobility ecosystem together to learn, lead, and grow alongside each other. Expect honest conversations, new friendships, mentors who stay with you, and the kind of community that carries you forward long after the day ends.
Anne shared a powerful example from the 2023 European Summit in Ludwigsburg. After telling Caroline Trudeau she had enjoyed her speech and attitude on stage, the two exchanged business cards. A LinkedIn connection followed, then WhatsApp, then phone calls. Three years on, Caroline is a close friend who stays with Anne's family when she visits Germany, and the two now coach each other through leadership challenges.
Automotive may feel like a large global industry, but the community within it is far closer than it first appears. A single moment of genuine connection today can become a lifelong friendship, a trusted sounding board, or a professional partnership in ways no one could have predicted.
Several attendees asked how to approach networking when confidence is low. The advice from both speakers was consistent:
Anne emphasised that networking, like any other skill, is built through repetition. Everyone feels awkward at first. Confidence is the result of showing up consistently, not a prerequisite for starting.
Interestingly, the three speakers network in different ways. Claudette lets conversations unfold naturally, reading the audience and the table she finds herself at. Stephanie, by contrast, arrives at partner events with a research list of three to five people she wants to meet. Anne sits somewhere in between, encouraging those newer to networking or feeling shy to plan ahead with a few prepared questions, while staying open to the unexpected conversations that happen on the day.
All three approaches work. What does not work, all three agreed, is pretending to be something you are not. Automotive is a small world, and authenticity travels quickly. As Anne put it, trying to network without being authentic drains your energy and rarely lasts beyond the first conversation.
The most practical closing message of the session was also the simplest. Five genuine connections after an event will serve you better than fifty business cards collected in a rush. The people who remember you, and who you remember, are the ones who turn into long term professional capital.
Claudette summarised it simply:
"Less is more sometimes. I'd rather invest that energy and that time." — Claudette
Anne added:
"You'll know if this is someone like forever. You get the vibe." — Anne
Networking, done well, is not a transaction. It is a long term investment.
If you attended live or are watching on demand, here are four practical actions to put these insights into practice:
If you would like to revisit the stories shared by Anne and Claudette, or share the insights with your team, you can access the full session recording below.
If you found value in this session and want to keep learning alongside the WAN community, our virtual program continues throughout the year with monthly sessions designed to give you fresh perspective and practical insight.
Our next event takes place on Thursday 21 May 2026, a session on Building the Software Defined Vehicle: The Role of Open Source and Global Collaboration, with Sara Gallian of Eclipse Foundation exploring how open source is shaping the future of automotive software.
With a 50,000+ global community across 139 countries worldwide, and flagship summits in Europe, the US, Mexico & Japan, the Women Automotive Network (WAN) is a trusted global platform for organisations across the automotive and mobility ecosystem.
We partner with leading OEMs, Tier 1–2 suppliers, and technology companies to support leadership development, employer brand visibility, and meaningful engagement with senior industry talent.
For all enquiries, get in touch here.
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