Inspiring voices

To Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire on a crisp afternoon in November 2024, where Porsche Cars GB hosted an inspiring panel of high-profile women to discuss all things creativity, empowerment and breaking down barriers. The event was organised exclusively for female business founders and entrepreneurs in the UK.

The panel included tennis champion and Porsche ambassador Emma Raducanu; Jill Scott MBE, a Euros-winning England Lioness; star driver Abbie Eaton, the first female Carrera Cup GB race winner; Basma Khalifa, a renowned Sudanese director, film-maker, writer and stylist; and Mia Baker, pro golfer and presenter who also covers Formula 1.

The panellists spoke about meeting their goals – which for Raducanu came much earlier than planned, winning the US Open aged 18. ‘Going forward, my goals aren’t necessarily results-based. It’s more about exploring my potential, and how much I can enjoy the journey along the way.’

Scott admitted she was ‘reserved in setting long-term goals’, but also emphasised the value of persistence. ‘For me, I played for England 161 times before getting that success. That’s a long journey without any success – but when we got there, it meant a lot.’

Khalifa offered insights on storytelling, and spoke about her background. As well as being a black woman, Sudanese, Arab and Muslim, ‘I also have a weird Scottish-Irish accent and live in London,’ she said. ‘I have all these different things and no one else could ever tell my story. I have my own path and I’ll do what I do.’ Key to her vision is making a difference not only through her work but also in how she works. Having just made a film featuring 24 women from around the world, Khalifa said she mainly hires exclusively women – what she called ‘passing it on’.

‘Going forward, my goals aren’t necessarily based on results. It’s more about exploring my potential, and how much I can enjoy the journey’ 

Emma Raducanu

Baker shared how a female voice can help educate others, drawing on her experience of working with golf retailers to stock more women’s apparel. ‘If we have female input working internally, how can we change what we’re doing and market more towards women?’

As well as having been a test driver on The Grand Tour with Jeremy Clarkson, Eaton is also a driving coach – and loves the challenge of changing the perceptions of some of her male clients. ‘If I go home thinking I’ve changed that guy’s mind and he’s going to say to his friends, “You know what? I had a woman coach me today and she was mega.” If I’m the person to do that, I’ll take that mantle.’

The panellists also spoke excitedly about track days, and how they can end with minds buzzing, new ideas galore and ‘brains firing on all cylinders’, as the host, journalist and consultant Natasha Bird, put it. Raducanu added that track days had even inspired her to draw parallels with her own game. Both racing and tennis have small margins, she said, ‘but the adrenaline rush is the same.’ And in the end, despite being driven a lot, there’s nothing like driving yourself, she said. ‘There is more adrenaline, which is why I love it. It’s a lot more fun.’