For the Girls founder Monica Monteleone wins 2026 Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award
Cox Automotive Australia has named For the Girls founder Monica Monteleone the 2026 Barbara Cox Award winner, recognising her work building a national automotive community for women, with the honour presented as planned on October 16 at the Women in Automotive Signature Series event in Melbourne.
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Monteleone named 2026 winner
Monica Monteleone, founder of the women's automotive community group For the Girls, has won the 2026 Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award. The award was presented by Cox Automotive Australia chief executive Stephen Lester at the Women in Automotive Signature Series event in Melbourne, recognising her work creating opportunities and a stronger sense of belonging for women in Australia's automotive community, as reported by Autotalk. 1
Cox Automotive Australia's own announcement confirms the result, describing Monteleone as recognised for her contribution to creating opportunities, visibility and belonging for women across the Australian automotive community. The fourth annual Barbara Cox Award presentation took place at the Women in Automotive Signature Series event, where Lester presented the honour in memory of the late Barbara Cox, a former owner and director of Cox Enterprises, the US-based parent company of Cox Automotive. 3
The announcement had been scheduled in advance: GoAutoNews Premium reported in the lead-up that the winner would be announced on October 16 at the Women in Automotive (WinA) Luncheon, with the recipient to receive a $5000 prize for personal development. 2
Alongside the industry recognition, Monteleone receives a $5000 professional development grant. Cox Automotive states the grant is intended to support her future growth and career aspirations, and that she was selected as winner from a field of four finalists shortlisted from a nomination pool that doubled in size compared with the previous year. 31
From a library gathering to a national community
Monteleone established For the Girls in July 2022 after importing a vehicle from Japan and considering how many other women shared her enthusiasm for cars, Autotalk reports. Her first local car gathering started as a small event at a library but revealed broader demand for an automotive community where women felt comfortable participating. One of her nominators is quoted as saying she created a space "rather than waiting for an existing space to appear". 13
Before her automotive work, Monteleone worked as a portrait photographer, according to Cox Automotive's award page, which also describes how the early library meet-up connected her with women who shared a passion for cars and motorsport but often felt intimidated, excluded or uncertain about attending automotive events on their own. 3
Today For the Girls runs car meets, motorsport experiences, track days, karting events, workshops, expos, fundraisers and networking opportunities. Its beginner-friendly events are intended to help women enter automotive culture and motorsport while connecting enthusiasts, competitors, business owners and industry professionals. The organisation is supported by automotive industry groups including Motorsport Australia. 1
Cox Automotive adds that under Monteleone's leadership the community has championed women already working in motorsport, supported female-owned businesses, promoted mental health awareness initiatives and raised funds for charitable causes. Its events include the annual For the Girls + Friends Car Show and For the Girls: Auto Expo. 31
The finalists and judging field
Monteleone was chosen from four finalists. The other shortlisted candidates were Logicar chief executive Colette Kirby; diesel fitter, automotive electrician and field service technician Caitlyn Hayes; and Katherine Anderson, senior product manager for safety and security at Intelematics (RACV). GoAutoNews Premium details the finalists ahead of the announcement, noting that Kirby has fostered a 40:40:20 gender-balanced organisation at Logicar and joined the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association board in 2022, while Hayes has won industry awards including the 2025 Tradie Trailblazer Award and mentors women in trades through her @diesel.n.sparks social platform. 2
GoAutoNews Premium also reports that Anderson has been instrumental in the rollout of eCall technology, which sends details of serious accidents to emergency responders and is embedded in more than one million vehicles in Australia and New Zealand, since expanded to include fatigue and distraction detection. She joined Intelematics as a product owner in 2020 and became senior product manager in 2024. 2
The judging panel comprised Cox Automotive Australia corporate affairs manager Mike Costello, Cox Automotive Australia head of information technology Elissa McKendry and Women in Automotive director Kate Peck, according to GoAutoNews Premium. Cox Automotive's award page describes the selection process as holistic, assessing candidates against their commitment to innovation, leadership and community as well as their impact on the industry, rather than focusing on job titles or seniority. 234
About the award and its history
The Barbara Cox Award recognises women demonstrating leadership, innovation, advocacy or community impact within Australia's automotive industry and is open to any woman working in the sector. It is named after the late Barbara Cox, a former owner and director of Cox Enterprises and daughter of company founder Governor James Cox. Cox Automotive says the 2026 presentation marked the fourth year of the award in Australia, with nominations open from July and finalists announced in October. 134
Previous Australian recipients are Eleni Mitakos, founder of Galmatic, who won the inaugural award in 2023; Shai Copelin, now automotive product manager at TAFE NSW, who won in 2024; and Tegan Blockey, dealer principal at Bridge Toyota and Lexus of Darwin, who won in 2025 and was the first woman to hold the dealer principal role at any Lexus dealership in Australia. 423
One discrepancy in earlier coverage is worth noting: GoAutoNews Premium's October 13 report described the award as being in its third year, while Cox Automotive's own award page and Autotalk's report on the presentation both identify the 2026 honour as the fourth annual award. The later, award-publisher position indicates 2026 is the fourth year in Australia. 213
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Four finalists named for 2026 Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award
Monica Monteleone, Colette Kirby, Katherine Anderson and Caitlyn Hayes are in the running for the 2026 Barbara Cox Award, with the winner to be announced at the Women in Automotive Luncheon in Melbourne on October 16.
