PITTSBURGH — PNC Bank and Chip Ganassi Racing have announced the launch of Women In Motorsports Powered by PNC Bank with Chip Ganassi Racing, a new campaign to drive awareness and support for gender equality and economic inclusion for women in the workforce. The initiative includes a thought leadership video content series showcasing female industry leaders and an internship designed to accelerate career pathways in motorsports for women.
The initiative was announced on March 8 — International Women’s Day.
Women In Motorsports brings an additional educational component to PNC’s active sponsorship with CGR by providing a platform to fuel dialogue about the increasing importance of women as decision makers and influencers with employees, customers and race fans across the country.
“While women continue to make inroads in careers dominated by males, such as motorsports, tech and finance, much work remains in achieving greater access to highly skilled jobs and equal pay,” said Debbie Guild, PNC head of Enterprise Technology and Security. “Cultivating opportunities to build out the next pipeline of female innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders is critical to closing the economic gender gap. We all recognize that a diverse workforce can spark innovation in the workplace and influence economic inclusion for all. This program shines a light on this business imperative.”
Through a unique video series, the Women In Motorsports campaign will highlight women in the CGR organization who have excelled in the field of motorsports. These women include: IMSA engineer Danielle Shepherd, INDYCAR engineer Angela Ashmore and INDYCAR mechanic Anna Chatten.
Additionally, CGR will facilitate the inaugural Women In Motorsports internship program engaging a select group of female college students in on-site learning and career-development experiences during the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season. The internship is open to eligible women attending a university, college or other higher education institution in the U.S. and includes a paid stipend and academic credit where applicable. The application portal opens at 9 a.m. March 8, and closes at 5 p.m. Eastern on March 22. Chip Ganassi Racing will select the cohort and notify participants by April 1, 2022. For more information or to apply, visit wim.chipganassiracing.com.
“Teaming up with PNC to launch Women In Motorsports reflects our commitment to help advance opportunities for women in the sport,” said Chip Ganassi, CGR team owner. “We’re excited to highlight the achievements of our team members and share a behind-the-scenes look at their contributions to this championship organization, which will hopefully help pave the way for female students to develop specialized skills in areas such as racing operations and engineering to information technology and athletic training, to name a few.”
Guild leads a broader corporate effort at PNC to champion equitable opportunities for women in the workplace. She, alongside other PNC and Chip Ganassi Racing representatives, will participate in unique Women In Motorsports-themed initiatives, chiefly in cities hosting the IndyCar race circuit. These will include special events and other opportunities to engage audiences with the interns, CGR female staff, and CGR driver and six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon.