THE GLEANER’S FLAIR MAGAZINE • TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2022 I {FLAIR 26 F.PROFILE Caribbean to make it to the final of a Formula One qualification competition, being one of 50 finalists from a list of more than 9,000 applicants worldwide. This week, she heads to Sweden for the final chase for one of the four spots in the 2022 GT Cup Championship. “It means everything to me to know that I’m making pioneering moves for Jamaican women as Jamaica’s first Formula [One] woman driver. I hope all women and girls use this as an inspiration that anything is possible, and that just because something is difficult doesn’t make it impossible,” she said. Formula One training demands a lot fromMisir. It requires time management, training on and off the track, and it is physically and mentally taxing. Yet she does this, all while pursuing a master’s degree in architecture. “I’m good on the racetrack, but I have multiple dreams that I want to accomplish as well, and architecture is one of them. Turns out it’s also another male-dominated space,” she shared. But Misir is up for the challenge. stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com RACING CONTINUED FROM 24 AS A student of the Jose Marti Technical High School, Jonoi Forrester’s name often saw her mistaken for a boy. In one instance, it even saw her being placed in auto mechanics classes, where the curriculum sparked a lifelong love for auto engineering. But despite her long-held passion for mechanics, Forrester was not entirely sure about a career in the automotive industry. She wanted to be a meteorologist, but continued on the path chosen, and matriculated to the Jamaican-German Automotive School for her tertiary education, where she studied auto-mechanics. At 25, she now wears the title of workshop controller at ATL Autobahn and has been working with the company for the past three and a half years. Currently, she is tasked with ensuring that all work on the vehicles in their garage (usually within a dealership) is carried out appropriately. “My daily duties entail allocating jobs to the technicians, relaying information between technicians, service advisers and washstand. I do a lot of administrative work in-between also, which comprises of reports, organising of the workshop, parts requisitions, and the works,” said Forrester. She added, “What I love about my job is that every day it allows me to learn something new about BMWs, which has always been my favourite brand of cars.” In the initial stages, between gender differences and the distinct age gap, it was a challenge to adapt, she said. But, having been recognised and represented as a team member who believes in achieving a shared goal, she has managed to overcome it. “Every day is a work in progress, because there’s always room for improvement. I think I break the bias by showing that regardless of a woman’s soft exterior, we are just as capable as men, and by challenging myself to do better than the day before every day that I go into work,” Forrester shared. stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com Happy accident sparks Forrester’s love for auto Jonoi Forrester’s placement in auto mechanics classes sparked a lifelong love for auto engineering. IT CAN be intimidating for a woman in a male-dominated field, but to be the first and only saleswoman in a meeting room filled with your male cohorts, the challenge can feel even bigger. Recalling her start in the automotive industry nine years ago, Jhanelle Wagstaffe says it was initially a nail-biting task to get male clients to purchase a vehicle from her. “I will not lie, it was difficult. It was not easy convincing a male client to buy a car from you when you were just learning about cars yourself,” Wagstaffe told Flair. Wagstaffe, 34, who moved out of the banking sector and worked her way up the professional ladder of the ATL Automotive Group – from sales representative in the Volkswagon department in Montego Bay to her transition to Honda in Kingston, and now to her position as senior sales manager, Volkswagon – said there were days she went home and cried because of self-doubt. “There was a time I thought this was just getting way too hard. And I remember calling my manager who supervised me when I was just employed to ATL, and asking her how she handled it and how she survived in the environment. That was the turning point for me; she gave me some solid advice that I’ll cherish to this day,” she said. “Professional growth through the ranks ... it’s never easy. Now, as the only female sales manager there, I’m reminded to put in the work and do it properly. Once you do that, you will never hear you are doing wrong. It’s normal to wonder if your opinion is as important as the males, especially when you’re listening to the male associates, so you work twice as hard. You have to be strong.” Never in Wagstaffe’s wildest dreams did she envision that she would have worked in the automotive industry for more than three years. As a student of psychology and criminology, she had originally planned to spend a maximum of four years in car sales to acquire funds to fulfil her goals to become a forensic psychologist. But she could not ignore the pull of the auto world. Her father actually owned a fleet of trucks and tractors, and she surrounded herself with friends with a passion for motor cars and racing, and over the years, with continued training in sales and management, and increased knowledge, the auto industry didn’t look so daunting. A car became more than an engine and four wheels, and Wagstaffe began to see her purpose as a saleswoman. Her advice to young women entering the industry: “Have a strong will for success and the drive to develop those around you. Having a strong sense of fairness and honesty has been some of the things that have helped me overcome the challenges of working in a maledominated field.” She adds, “Also, expand your knowledge... . There should never be a time where a client asks a technical question and a sales rep – male or female – isn’t capable of providing an answer.” stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com Jhanelle Wagstaffe — A driving force in the auto sales Jhanelle Wagstaffe’s advice to women entering the auto industry: always expand your knowledge.
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