"Diverse Organisations are better organisations"

Eva Barrett has spent more than 25 years in marketing, including 15 years in global roles at brands like Adidas and Philips. When the chance to join Honda Australia came up, the decision was easy. "Honda is an iconic brand, one of the biggest brands in the world, with an incredible history of innovation, over 60 years in F1," she says. "I was genuinely excited by the opportunity."

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Since taking on the role (her CV also includes Chief Customer Officer and Global Head of Brand Communications titles), Barrett has kept the customer at the centre of every decision. One of her first moves was commissioning research into what Australian consumers actually thought of the brand. The findings were blunt: "We remember Honda, we love Honda, but you've been a bit invisible," she says. "Customers were actually saying, 'We want Honda to advertise. We want to see you.'" That insight shaped a full consumer segmentation strategy that now guides the brand's marketing.

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"Businesses have to be customer-centric," Barrett says. "Without the customer, you don't have a business."

 

The same thinking shows up in how Honda treats its people. The brand's global "Power of Dreams" identity carries real weight internally too. Honda runs an annual employee survey asking staff to name their own dreams and the legacy they want to leave. "For our female employees, that's really empowering, because it is about empowerment," Barrett says.

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It's a subject Barrett cares about personally. Honda Australia has been a corporate partner of Women in Automotive for two years.

 

"Diverse organisations are better organisations, and this is proven by research," she says.

 

"They provide diversity of thought, but most of all, diverse organisations outperform from a revenue and profitability point of view, time and time again. It provides better business outcomes." As Barrett puts it, diversity is a strategic advantage.

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Her advice for bringing more women into the industry is direct: "Women are 50% of the buying population. We need more women in senior roles that are bringing up younger women in the organisation... the best thing women can do is stay close to the P&L. Understand the numbers, understand what drives the business."

 

Honda backs it up with numbers of its own. Barrett's team is majority female, and the company recently announced Sarah Grove as its new General Manager of Finance, Legal and Compliance. Internally, the grassroots "Women of Honda" network has grown into a large, cross-departmental group offering mentoring and a safe space to share knowledge and opportunities, something Barrett credits partly to Women in Automotive's influence.

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With a new model on the road and a renewed brand presence, Barrett is upbeat about where Honda sits right now. "Honda is on fire right now," she says. "We're proud, we're loud, and everybody wants us to be a success."

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Honda Australia is a Gold Corporate Member of Women in Automotive. To explore Corporate Member options contact us hello@womeninautomotive.com.au