Katherine Anderson

For Katherine Anderson, the pivot from tourism to automotive technology wasn't an obvious one, but it was a purposeful one. After more than a decade working across the travel industry in various countries and roles, she was ready for work that carried real stakes.

She found it at Intelematics, where she's now Senior Product Manager for a connected vehicle safety platform whose flagship technology, eCall, can mean the difference between life and death in a crash.

Across programs with Toyota, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Lexus and Genesis, Katherine manages product delivery and the future evolution of eCall while also advocating for its wider adoption across Australia and New Zealand. It's a role she describes as giving her genuine purpose, even on the hard days.

In this interview, Katherine reflects on imposter syndrome, what great leadership actually looks like, and the advice from an early boss that she still carries with her today.

Can you walk us through your role at Intelematics and how it sits within the broader automotive safety ecosystem?

I am a Senior Product Manager for a SaaS-based connected vehicle safety platform at Intelematics.

Our flagship service is eCall vehicle safety technology, alongside SOS duress, stolen vehicle tracking, and fatigue management services, which we provide to automotive manufacturers.

My role has evolved significantly, I have been responsible for product delivery, ongoing management as well as looking ahead to the future evolution of eCall.

Adjacent to this, a key part of my role is advocacy for this life-saving technology. I am focused on helping make eCall widely available to Australian and New Zealand drivers, with the aim of reducing road trauma and lives lost. A lot of this has to do with greater education of these services, both to automotive manufacturers, but also to the broader industry and consumers alike.

What was your first job and what initially drew you to the automotive or technology sector?

My first ‘real’ job was in tourism, working for an Australian based tour operator – I worked in that industry for various companies, across various countries in a number of roles from 2008-2019.

While I loved my time in tourism and met some wonderful people (and mentors) along the way, and learned a great deal, I felt I reached a point where I wanted to do more. I was looking for work with greater fulfillment and a real-world impact.

What ultimately drew me to Intelematics, and to the connected vehicle technology segment, was eCall. The opportunity to work on and develop life-saving technology was everything I had been looking for — allowing me to apply and transfer the skills I had developed throughout my career to deliver something that can, and does, save lives.

Intelematics delivers eCall solutions across Toyota, BYD, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Lexus and Genesis vehicle programs.

What does it mean to you personally to work on something with that kind of real-world impact?It means everything to me. Being able to get up each day and know what you do, and the services you support, may be the difference between someone living or dying, it gives me purpose.

The sense of impact is what drives me to keep going– even on those days that everything seems too much or too hard, it makes it all worthwhile when you remember what you are striving to achieve.

As a senior leader in a traditionally male-dominated industry, what have been the most significant hurdles on your career journey and what did navigating them teach you?

This is a great question – I think there are two main hurdles for me,

• the need to prove yourself to others that you’ve ‘earned your seat at the table’, which can be quite daunting when you are often the only woman in a room.

•  the pressure you put on yourself - imposter syndrome is real – overcoming those feelings that you’re out of your depth or that you don’t belong at that table. 

Both of these things I have struggled with and probably will continue to, although I tend to be kinder to myself these days.  

The best thing I continue to learn is to back myself. Reminding myself I have earned this position, and that my voice and opinions matter. Having ‘that confidence’ and the belief I ‘offer a unique and valued perspective’.

When you're building a team in a fast-moving space like connected vehicle technology, what qualities do you prioritise when hiring?

Passion, independent thought, and people who work as a team.

We operate in a fast-moving environment, we are a small team, and we achieve a lot.  That happens because of the support, a shared mindset and notion that we do what needs to be done, to get the right outcome for our customers.

How does an employee make an impression on you? What traits make people stand out?

Diversity of thought and background is what really makes people stand out. Different experiences and perspectives help challenge norms, question assumptions, and spark better conversations, and I’ve found that teams with a real mix of thinking consistently come up with stronger ideas and better results.

I’m also drawn to people who are curious and prepared to think a little differently, those who look for better ways of doing things, challenge the status quo, and aren’t afraid to think or create a new approach to solve a problem or drive an outcome.

Technology in the safety space carries real responsibility when things don't go to plan, how do you approach setbacks, and what have those moments taught you as a leader?

In safety technology, you have to accept that the stakes are higher in a complex environment where there are multiple stakeholders, integrations, and real-world variables.

What I’ve learned is that setbacks are where you see the true strength of yourself, others and of a team. It’s where various gaps become visible, but also where collaboration, trust, and creative problem-solving really stand out to either get things back on track or devise a solution.

As a leader, those moments have taught me to be more proactive about risk, more open in communication, and more deliberate in how we build resilience into both the product and the team. It’s reinforced the importance of creating a culture where people feel safe to speak up early.

Has there been a moment that truly shaped who you are as a leader?

There hasn’t been a specific moment exactly, however, there are definitely experiences I draw on.

Often, it isn’t the positive situations that shape you most. I’ve been privileged to work with some great leaders, including a number of strong female mentors in male-dominated industries that have taken me under their wing. I’ve also had mentors of all kinds who have fallen short of that mark.

It was really through witnessing those experiences that I came to fully appreciate how unique and impactful the great leaders were and how they led, how they conducted themselves, the example they set, and what they brought out in the teams around them. Those experiences also made it very clear to me the type of leader I wanted to be, and just as importantly, the type of leader I didn’t.

Senior leadership roles in technology and safety are demanding - how do you manage your own wellbeing and maintain balance, and what's one piece of advice you'd give to others trying to do the same?

It is pretty demanding and I am yet to experience a shortage of work. Because of that, I am always very conscious of burnout, both for myself and the team around me.

I really promote balance. You rarely get the best out of people who are working excessive hours and operating in a constant state of fatigue – and then you start to see the downstream impacts of that.

It is important that people get uninterrupted downtime from work - time with their families, exercising or out of work hobbies. Not only does it make life more interesting, but I find when people are at work, they’re generally happier, and produce significantly better outcomes.

The work will always be there – but people won't remember you for the overtime you do. Good leaders are remembered for how they protect their people, not how they push them.

What is the best piece of advice you were ever given?

An old boss once told me ‘You don’t often speak up, but when you do, you are usually right’. Hearing that gave me the confidence, especially in a new industry, to learn to back myself, my thoughts and my opinions to speak up more.And another nugget of advice came from my first boss – ‘The work can wait, look after yourself, who’s going to do the work if you’re dead?’. This was after I got quite sick and wanted to come back to work before I should have. It was a solid piece of advice I still live by today.

For women who are earlier in their careers and looking to grow in automotive or mobility, what's the most honest and practical advice you can offer - based on what you wish you'd known?

That your voice and opinion matter, so it is important to speak up. You have a unique perspective, and you have been put in that role for a reason. People will value your thoughts.

This is something I wish I had adopted myself far earlier than I did, it can be intimidating at first especially when you find yourself in a minority, if not the only woman in a room. However, the ability to back yourself, especially if it differs from the thoughts and opinions of your peers, is so valuable. You are bringing something into that meeting, or room that others may not have considered and you are doing yourself and others a disservice by not speaking up.

Beyond individual effort, what structural or cultural changes do you think the automotive and mobility industry needs to make to genuinely become more inclusive?

I think having organisations like WinA is a great step in the right direction. Having more visibility and shining a light on this is critical, especially in industries that are traditionally male-dominated. That includes not only having more publications celebrating the success of women in this field, however also providing safe forums where women can get together, share, collaborate, and also see they aren’t alone.

Also, I think it’s important to highlight a range of career pathways in this industry to get more women and greater diversity into the automotive sector.

There is still some way to go, however in my six years working in automotive I can already see a positive change.