Interview with Emily Holloway, Formula E Sporting Manager
Meet Emily, Sporting Manager with Formula E. Her job is to keep the racing side of the championship running smoothly, connecting teams, circuits, and everyone behind the scenes. Some days she’s coordinating race weekend operations; other days she’s in race control, juggling radios, people, and logistics to make sure everything happens safely and efficiently.
Emily encourages anyone entering the sport to go with their gut, stand up to challenges, and prove anyone who doubts them wrong.
Can you introduce yourself and your work in motorsport?
My name is Emily and I am the Sporting manager at Formula E. I support all things to do with the racing side of our championship and liaise with each of our teams and the circuits we travel to.
Did you always want to work in motorsport?
I started my career in rugby and always knew I wanted to work in Sport. Motorsport has been a big part of my life growing up but I never thought I would end up working within it
What did you like about motorsport?
Mostly friendships with likeminded individuals. Motorsport is not all the glam that it looks like from the outside and a huge amount of graft is needed from each and every person. The late nights, long days and time away from home mean that everyone has to be resilient and find ways to break barriers together
Could you tell us more about your work?
Day to day I liaise with most other departments in Formula E and our Race Team managers to ensure that communication about upcoming events is streamlined. It is a lot of being the middle man to ensure the most up to date information is relayed to the correct stakeholders and our local support understands what is required of them. During the race week I work with all the amazing men and women at the track that come in just for the event so they need to quickly get up to speed so a lot of it is about efficiency and working together to deliver the same goal. I also sit in race control for the race days to control who enters and exits track for our promotional track activities so our guests can also enjoy a bit of speed around the track!
Do you prefer one of those tasks?
I love the buzz of race control and ensuring that the track is safe for whatever activity will go on there. You will normally have 2 or 3 people talking on the radio at the same time so you have to try and differentiate the voice to know who to reply to in the midst of potentially chaos on track
Did you study for this job?
I didn’t go to university as I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to work in sport so I looking into internships and was lucky enough to land a job at a rugby club. The enthusiasm to travel then steered me into the direction of motorsport and I’ve worked my way around a few jobs to end up in this position which had enabled me to narrow down the key elements I enjoy from different roles to ultimately put it all together to find a position that I love. There are areas around the job I need to know and understand but I didn’t do a certain qualification to end up here. I worked hard and gained the trust of people within the organisation and was able to transfer skills from one role to another
Was it hard to find an internship?
It was an advertised role however I knew the person who was the intern before me so I was able to speak direct to the club about it which helped with the application process. It’s part of ‘getting your name’ out there and discussing directly with people any type of role that you are interested in. I always find discussions directly with hiring managers or reaching out to your network puts you in a better position when applying for jobs
Can you explain or give advice to young women about how to network in motorspor?
Just put yourself in as many situations as possible to speak to people within motorsport. Say yes to all opportunities and be super open with what you want to do as there are so many roles
As a woman, have you encountered specific challenges or, conversely, particular opportunities in this traditionally male-dominated industry?
Personally I’ve either been oblivious to it or I’ve been very lucky with the jobs I’ve gone for as I don’t feel that I’ve ever had a challenge to face in that situation. It also comes with the path I’ve taken though as I started in motorsport in a typically female role as a host and then gained the trust and moved within the industry with contacts rather than relying on my CV to get my foot in the door with people I don’t know. It also helps I’ve been at Formula E for so long that my range of knowledge suits the growing business and I’ve been able to develop with the development of the sport
And do you have any advice for women who would like to join this industry?
Don’t underestimate how hard the industry is. You make lifelong friends and travel to some amazing places but the hours and dedication that it takes to make it successful is not for the faint hearted. But it’s the best decision and industry to experience so just go for it!
Is it difficult to travel this much and being away from your family?
Formula E tries to encourage less travel and if you can split out roles across the team and alternate the races, many people do, including me! It’s a lot easier doing every other race but still tricky to be away for a week when you have a young family. Although sometimes it’s a well needed break from children!
Are your tasks different when you’re not at the race?
When we are not at a race we are mainly preparing for the next race in terms of ensuring teams have all of the information they need and our local ASNs are across the requirements. At the end of each season we all have a bit of time off and then straight back into preparing for the next season!
Have you ever encountered comments about the fact that you are a woman in motorsport?
I’m fortunate enough to have not faced many. And to be honest it’s mainly been positive when I do hear the comments. You get the odd person here and there who don’t take you seriously until they find out what we do but I don’t really mind the evaluations because I know I’m good at what I do
When you encounter those comments, is it difficult to not let them affect you even if you know your worth?
I haven’t had anything that I’ve felt is too bad to let it affect me. Maybe I’m oblivious to some of the comments but most of the time I just don’t listen if it’s around me. As I’ve been at Formula E for so long I know most of the ecosystem so there are more friendships around the paddock and I think you earn your respect
And do you have any advice regarding this issue for young women?
Go with your gut and don’t be afraid to stand up to it. There will be barriers and people who don’t think you’ll be able to make it but prove them wrong and show them
If you could change one thing in motorsport, what would it be and why?
Sometimes the amount of travel in worldwide motorsport can be tricky on your body and if you are committed to every race it gets extremely tiring. I think a rule about how many races you do would help but very tricky in how you implement that!
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