A new juror for the WWCOTY
Monica Secondino writes for the Italian media Il Fatto Quotidiano, Auto and Motor 1 Italia. She is also the founder of Donne in Auto. With her addition, the WWCOTY now has 72 jurors from 49 countries.
The Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) is pleased to announce that Monica Secondino, founder of Donne in Auto and a feature writer for Il Fatto Quotidiano, Auto and Motor 1 Italia has joined the WWCOTY. With Secondino’s signing, the Women’s World Car of the Year now has 72 jurors from 49 countries on five continents.
Monica Secondino’s professional life took a turn in 2015. That year she participated as co-driver in the 2015 Mille Miglia aboard a 1951 Lancia Aurelia B20 driven by Cesare Fiorio, former sports director of the Ferrari, Ligier and Minardi Formula 1 teams in the 1990s and team manager of Lancia in the World Rally Championship in the 1970s-80s. The experience lived at the Mille Miglia and a family environment marked by automotive passion determined her to dedicate herself fully to motor journalism in 2017. That year she founded the media donneinauto.it, which offers test drives, events and interviews. „My intention is that the female perspective continues to emerge in the sector and that other women can also give free rein to their passion for cars. I want to contribute to dispel clichés about women and cars to convey the enormous strength and power of Italian female that drive their life. The timing and screening skills I’ve learned in the financial markets, combined with the power and control I experience in my sports car, are my secret sauce as a juror”.
Monica Secondino
A graduate of the Bocconi University in Milan, Monica Secondino is an expert in financial instruments and has been working for 29 years in the world of high finance, where she deals with asset management on international markets. A sector that has only recently started to deal with sustainability and inclusion issues, just like automotive. She currently writes on economic issues related to the automotive sector and does test drives for Il Fatto Quotidiano, one of the most widely read Italian newspapers; Auto.it, a leading motoring magazine; and Motor1.it, the first global automotive publication, available in different languages.
Italy in the automotive sector
The automotive sector in Italy has been an integral part of the country’s industrial and economic landscape for decades. Home to some of the world’s most iconic brands, the country produces every kind of car, from Ferrari to the legendary 500.
The latest trend is towards hybrid and electric cars, although the market is struggling to take off due to structural deficiencies and the cost of vehicles. Meanwhile, Italians continue to appreciate medium/large SUVs, even though the Fiat Panda and Lancia Y are still firmly in the lead in first and second place of the best-selling cars. Their popularity is due to their practicality.
Italy occupies a prominent position on the European automotive scene. It is one of Europe’s main car manufacturing centers, along with Germany, France and Spain. Its influence extends far beyond its national borders.
About Women’s World Car of the Year
Women’s World Car of the Year is the only car awards group in the world comprised exclusively of women motoring journalists. It was created by New Zealand motoring journalist Sandy Myhre in 2009. She is Honorary President while Marta García is Executive President.
This unique award aims to recognise the best cars of the year and to give a voice to women in the automotive world. The voting criteria are based on the same principles that guide any driver when choosing a car. The jurors do not select a ‘woman’s car’ because cars are not gender specific. Aspects such as safety, quality, price, design, ease of driving, benefits and environmental footprint, among others, are considered when casting the votes.
However, beyond choosing the best cars of the year, our goal is also to give visibility to women in the automotive world and to contribute to making women’s voices heard on all continents because mobility for a woman means access to many personal and professional possibilities.
