LKQ Synetiq managing director Annick Jourdenais has re‑joined the Automotive 30% Club as a Patron, strengthening the organisation’s push for greater female representation in senior automotive roles ahead of International Women’s Day. The Club, which unites senior industry leaders committed to achieving at least 30% gender balance in key leadership positions, continues to gain momentum as the sector undergoes significant transformation.
Jourdenais’s renewed involvement comes as automotive businesses confront accelerating change driven by electrification, sustainability commitments and the need for more resilient, future‑focused operating models. Alongside technological shifts, diversity and inclusion have become strategic priorities, directly influencing how companies attract talent, cultivate leadership pipelines and improve decision‑making at executive level.
As managing director of LKQ Synetiq, a joint venture combining LKQ Europe’s distribution strengths with Synetiq’s leading dismantling, reuse and remanufacturing capabilities, Jourdenais oversees operations that processed approximately 27,000 vehicles across four UK sites in 2024. Under her leadership, the business is working to embed circular economy principles into mainstream vehicle repair by expanding access to recycled OEM parts and strengthening collaboration across the insurance, repair and wider supply chain ecosystem.
Reflecting on her appointment, Jourdenais emphasised the importance of deliberate action in developing future leaders and ensuring that progression is based on performance and potential. She highlighted that diverse leadership is central to long‑term organisational sustainability and resilience.
Jourdenais said: “International Women’s Day is a timely reminder that while progress has been made, there is still more to do to build truly balanced leadership across our sector.
“As automotive continues to evolve, we need to be deliberate about developing future leaders -widening access to opportunity, strengthening talent pipelines, and ensuring progression is based on performance and potential. Initiatives like the Automotive 30% Club play a key role in creating accountability and driving meaningful change.
“For me, this is about long-term sustainability in its broadest sense – not only environmental, but organisational. The decisions being made in boardrooms today will shape how resilient and competitive our businesses are in five or ten years’ time. Building diverse leadership teams is part of that forward planning.
“I’m looking forward to working alongside peers across the sector to help accelerate that progress and ensure our industry continues to develop the strongest possible leadership for the future.”
Jourdenais previously served as CFO of LKQ UK & Ireland, where she championed the company’s initial engagement with the Automotive 30% Club. Her earlier initiatives included launching LKQ’s first finance internship and graduate scheme and supporting industry panels promoting diversity. She remains active in representation efforts through the European Women’s Network Steerco and LKQ’s Women’s Network.
Rachel Stokes, CFO of LKQ Euro Car Parts and fellow Patron, welcomed Jourdenais’s return, noting that visible senior‑level commitment is essential to driving meaningful sector‑wide progress. “It is fantastic to see Annick re-joining the Automotive 30% Club and further strengthening LKQ’s commitment to increasing female representation across our sector. Real progress comes when leadership teams actively champion change and having more senior voices from across LKQ involved sends a clear signal about the importance we place on building inclusive, future-focused businesses.”
