Barbara Cox Awards 2024 nominees:
Jade Budden
Head of Marketing and Online at FOW
Brief biography of you and your career
Jade is Head of Marketing and Online at Fords of Winsford (FOW) car supermarket where she has worked for six years. She started life there as a digital photographer, working in a team of three women.
A passionate team player with a love for all things automotive, Jade spent much of her childhood living in Gran Canaria, where she developed an understanding of diverse cultures—an experience she says has helped shape the woman she is today.
She joined FOW after studying radio, television and digital communication at Salford University. With a determination to embrace digital to support her goals and ambitions, two years after joining FOW she became Marketing Assistant.
According to Jade, this allowed her to realise her ambition of taking the company’s digital marketing to new heights. With female leadership and a will to succeed, Jade said her team achieved many things, including several initiatives, such as FOW’s charity partnerships. She also helped drive forward new and exciting solutions at board level.
She said: “We were the first female team to drive the business forward through innovation. This commitment inspired confidence to overhaul our recruitment and screening process, for example, we recruited females from other parts of the business. From technicians to sales and stock management, females now play a fundamental part in how our business operates.”
Now, as Head of Marketing and Online, she manages global budgets, recruitment and development and has successfully introduced new training processes that are developing skill sets and helping the company to meet and exceed business objectives.
“With a revised recruitment and development strategy, I have driven employee retention and satisfaction—a happier team that’s highly motivated and has a great work ethic.
“With the ever-changing landscape of Automotive, I’m in a fantastic position to drive change and develop skills to drive our business and industry forward.
What is your proudest achievement as a leader or role model?
“I’m proud to continuously drive change for women within our organisation and the wider sector. In a traditionally male-oriented industry and environment, I have been instrumental in changing company policy and driving transparency throughout our recruitment and promotional processes.
“More opportunities than ever are now available to women and I am a tireless advocate for that sort of change. My biggest success has been the introduction of Workvivo.
“It promotes active listening and communication throughout the business and sector as a whole. We celebrate individual ‘wins’ inside and outside the business and use this as a tool for wider community projects such as our drive-in cinema event. The first of its kind in the UK, it was a great success, raising more than £5,700 for Hebden Green Community School, The Joshua Tree cancer charity and Manchester & Cheshire Dog’s Home.
“Alongside our multiple projects, I am proud to drive a teamwork ethic and inclusive environment. I celebrate wins and encourage personal development through a tailored programme. With no bias, my recruitment strategy opens more opportunities for more women to flourish in automotive.”
What is the most significant innovation you have been involved with?
“Our community projects have spearheaded our development and recruitment strategies to drive change and support business objectives. To support this strategy, I instilled a project to onboard activities internally and develop our skillsets—this supports our community strategy. Project onboarding includes design and print, with the introduction of our large-format printer, SAF training for my online team, and video production.
“Such projects extend throughout the year, with Easter and Christmas Events promoting inclusivity. It’s an honour to have instilled greater confidence in communicating effectively while promoting a healthy work/life balance. My teams are all supported through flexible working policies and opportunities to encourage personal development and growth.”
What do you do to give back to charity and/or the wider community?
“I have engineered our community projects to drive engagement and build upon existing relationships. We have a long-term partnership with Hebden Green Community School, spanning more than 20 years, and host events for the children and their families. In 2023 I introduced additional support programmes to get team members involved in the activities. At Christmas, we host a charity raffle and work with suppliers to fundraise for new equipment and support services. Our Christmas Grotto plays host to Father Christmas and I secured additional support to buy presents for all the children. We also support Hebden Green with our time and resources. I’ll design, print and install signage and learning materials on our large-format printer. Alongside this we donate our team towards extracurricular activities such as sponsored walks and events at our FOW showroom in Winsford.
“Alongside our Christmas activities, I hosted our first ‘drive-in’ cinema event in 2023. After I secured board buy-in, I rallied around and got everyone involved to make the evening a success. The cinema event was a huge success, selling out within 24 hours. With careful planning, we secured the film The Grinch (original), snacks, and party bags, with all money raised supporting local charities.”
“I am also leading our sustainability and EV policy, with our solar project coming to fruition in 2023. I am in the process of organising the installation of EV charge points to support our local charging infrastructure and make it easier for our community to charge their cars locally.
“Community work isn’t exclusive to FOW; it also extends to our Coffee Brake community hub, which is open to our community. Post-COVID, it’s more important than ever to promote active listening and communication, and the hub is at the heart of what we do.”
What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in automotive?
“My advice is simple: go for it! it’s such a rewarding sector to work in. Every day is different, and there’s always a new challenge to overcome, but if you’re passionate and want to make a difference and work with some great people along the way, then this is the sector for you. Having strong, empowering women in such a male-dominated workforce is important and hopefully will inspire younger generations to go against the norm. not only in automotive but in other sectors. Passion knows no gender.”
What advice would you give your younger self on having a successful career?
“The advice I would give myself is to empower teamwork and encourage personal development and growth. Having a strong team is just as important as being individually strong. Working in a passionate, inspiring environment is key to not only your success but the people around you. Things take time, and having patience and the drive to see an idea through from start to finish may seem challenging at first, but the rewards make it worth it.”
