Barbara Cox Awards 2023
nominees: Sara Sloman
Chief Strategy Officer at Paythru and Director of The EV Café
Brief biography of you and your career
Sara is Chief Strategy Officer at EV Fintech company Paythru. She has worked to deliver sustainable transport infrastructure projects for nearing twenty years both in the private and public sector. She brings an understanding of the lifecycle of EV infrastructure and the necessary steps required to successfully implement an effective Sustainability strategy. Sara believes in supporting all modes of transport for a sustainable future and her passion has always been in clean energy and zero emission mobility.
Sara is an ambassador for Inclusive e-Mobility, she was named as a Top Women in EV and Vulog’s Influential Women in Mobility as well as being named as GreenFleet EV Champion in 2018 and has featured on the GreenFleet “100 Most influential” list in since 2019, climbing to position 32 in 2023. Sara co-hosts the EV Café which includes monthly webinars, Podcasts and EV News to encourage collaboration in the transport and energy Industry.
Tell us what this nomination means to you
Being nominated for the coveted Barbara Cox award furthers my belief that in order to inspire others you must elect for self-belief and harness that ability to strive for change, lead by example and be pro-success. My mission is, and always has been, to devote myself to sustainable development and ethical business.
Being a leader means lifting other people wherever you can and delivering together. This can only lead to a place of mutual elevation in business and in your personal life so for me, there is no better way than to positively use a platform like achieving this accolade. I have invited my Mother as my plus one; she and so many others have been a constant in my life. I haven’t always heard their voices of support and encouragement; sometimes self doubt can inhibit progress. Something I have been challenged on, is my ability to be a leader when I have an open hearted and honest personality which leaves me vulnerable to criticism and sensitivity.
I couldn’t disagree more with this as a negative. I have been more driven than ever to be myself and have proven time after time that those traits which are seen as weaknesses have given me the courage and clarity of thought to make profitable business decisions which have led to successful projects with a positive legacy. I am inspired by many role models of all backgrounds and one in particular that I am thinking of (they know who they are) shares a passion and a charitable cause with me. We both feel strongly about the disparity of homelessness and wealth in our UK economy and we both believe in the charity called Shelter.
If I am successful in this award, I have decided that any proceeds from this achievement will go towards supporting their work in my local community in Gloucestershire as compassion, kindness and leading by example are the embodiment of self-progression in my mind.
What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in automotive?
The Automotive sector crosses over firmly into the renewable energy and EV market. It is a hotbed of enthusiastic and supportive individuals, and it is crying out for people to provide their inspiration, expertise, passion and drive to affect change. You may find you are a minority, but this shouldn’t stop you. I hear stories time and time again from within this industry of peers being promoted above them when they have the same skillset and I wonder how and why this could possibly happen.
I believe it boils down to being bold, being seen and heard. My mother was a mechanical engineer, making it into her local paper as one of the youngest and first females to complete that qualification at the time. She was told she couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to, but she did. I learned a lot from this message – by looking up to people and seeing how they achieved their success. I would encourage you to be curious, inquisitive and strategic. Take your time to explore the different sectors of our industry and don’t be afraid to sidestep from your original pathway into ours bringing with you your experience and transferable skills. Most of all – never say never.
Even if you don’t see a fit, create your own. I did, and I am finally realising how proud I should be of the effort and belief I have had to apply to my pathway to overcome adversity to meet my goal. This would not have been possible without strong leadership all around me. Harness these people and pay it forward when you can.
What advice would you give your younger self on having a successful career?
Keep fighting. Every single knockback is an opportunity. Take the time to choose whether to absorb or deflect the naysayers but never ever let it take your spark. Get to know yourself and be true to yourself. If people aren’t allowing that, you’re in the wrong circle. There is no challenge you can’t overcome, but you need to show strong leadership and draw a team together to help you all collectively achieve it. Be vulnerable, ask for advice and collaborative support. A powerful woman in my career once said to me; no one will thank you for going alone – but they will all thank you for taking them with you and in turn, they will take you further.
You will be torn between your passions of environmental science and art academically, between freedom and focus personally. But in time you will see that you can be a successful professional, a devoted single parent, a true friend to many in your industry and be able to keep your passion for the environment alive because you will carve your own path into a team who see your value without you having to over stretch, overcompensate or over apologise. Even when your career halts for parenthood or sickness, you can rebuild. All your pain, your trials and pitfalls are what bolster your inner strength in time but for now, remember who you are, pay it forward and take others with you throughout all you set out to achieve. Compassion is the route to success, even if it seem like the longer pathway… it is the one you will always tread if you believe in yourself and back yourself when others try to tear you down, remember your own pathway and how impactful you can be to others and the global environment.
About the Barbara Cox Award 2023 Nominees:
