Women Driving Porsche Forward Across Engineering, IT and Motorsport

Porsche highlights six women shaping its future in engineering, IT, marketing and motorsport, showing how diverse careers contribute to innovation across the company.

Across Porsche – from engineering and IT to marketing and motorsport – women are playing an increasingly visible role in shaping the future of the sports car manufacturer. Marking International Women’s Day 2026, the company highlighted six professionals whose careers illustrate how diverse paths can converge in one shared ambition: moving Porsche forward.

For the Stuttgart-based brand, the message goes beyond a symbolic celebration tied to a single date. Porsche emphasizes that diversity and equal opportunities form part of its long-term corporate strategy. A workplace that brings together different perspectives, the company argues, strengthens innovation, improves team performance and supports sustainable growth.

Women today contribute across nearly every core field of the organization. They are present in engineering teams, digital infrastructure, user-interface development, marketing and even emerging disciplines such as esports. While the automotive sector remains largely male-dominated, Porsche’s internal landscape is gradually becoming more diverse.

One of the most influential roles belongs to Maren Springmann, the company’s Chief Information Officer. She oversees Porsche’s digital backbone and leads a team of around 700 specialists responsible for systems used in vehicle development, sales platforms, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. When Springmann began studying computer science, women represented only a tiny minority among hundreds of students. That early experience shaped her belief that diversity is not only a matter of fairness but also a driver of better decision-making and stronger innovation.

The connection between digital services and everyday customer experience is represented by Anna Zahlava, product owner of the My Porsche app. Before entering the automotive industry, she competed on the professional tennis circuit, appearing in WTA Grand Slam tournaments and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Today she leads the integration of charging solutions within Porsche’s digital ecosystem, coordinating developers, designers and managers to ensure that complex technological systems remain intuitive for users.

Engineering expertise is embodied by Samantha Balzano, who has spent 28 years at Porsche. As Manager of Interior Body Engineering, she and her team develop key interior components ranging from luggage compartments to carpets and acoustic elements. When Balzano joined the company, women were rare in production departments. Over time she became the first woman appointed as a team leader in Porsche’s production division.

Another perspective on the brand comes from Ayesha Coker, Vice President of Marketing at Porsche Cars North America. Her responsibilities span customer relationship management, marketing communications, dealer marketing, the Porsche Track Experience and the Porsche Experience Centers in Atlanta and Los Angeles. In 2022 she joined the company’s Executive Committee, becoming the first African American woman in its history to hold such a position.

Modern vehicles rely heavily on digital interaction, and Carolina Maag plays a central role in that evolution. As Overall HMI Project Leader, she is responsible for the interfaces drivers encounter inside models such as the Cayenne and Macan – from the instrument cluster to the central display and interactive widgets. Her work requires coordination across more than a hundred specialists to translate complex software systems into intuitive user experiences.

Porsche’s involvement in new forms of motorsport is represented by Nina Braack, Manager of Esports at Porsche Motorsport. She leads the Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team, which competes at the highest level of sim racing. Within Porsche, esports is seen not simply as gaming but as a growing motorsport discipline that connects the brand with a younger, technology-oriented audience.

The company’s focus on diversity is also reflected in broader initiatives. Porsche supports programs aimed at encouraging women to enter technical careers, including educational projects related to STEM fields. Among them are initiatives such as Femtec and Girls’ Day, which introduce students to engineering and IT professions.

Taken together, the stories of these six professionals illustrate how varied experiences – from professional sport and engineering to digital technology and marketing – can converge within one organization. Their work reflects a wider transformation taking place within the automotive industry, where innovation increasingly depends on diverse skills, perspectives and leadership.