It gives us great pride to share the latest video from Ford SA’s ‘Our Ford Stories’ video series, coinciding with Ford South Africa’s centenary celebrations and Women’s month.
We hope you find these stories as inspiring as we do. Each of these women represents the spirit of determination, innovation, and passion that drives Ford South Africa forward. As we celebrate our centenary, we are proud to highlight their achievements and contributions to the automotive industry.
Trudy Pitout began working at Ford’s East Vaal service department in 1982. Her determined attitude, and passion for helping people, quickly saw her move to the sales department at the age of 17. In 2021 she was named a finalist in the Women Motoring of the Year Awards, and has received numerous other awards. Trudy is affectionately known as “Tannie Ford”, a nickname she wears with pride.
Motubatse Elize Pete began her journey with Ford in 2022 as a Production Process Coach before becoming a Scheduling Analyst in 2024. She holds a National Diploma and Bachelor of Technology in Mechatronic Engineering, an Advanced Diploma in Business Management, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration. A deep love for robotics, cars, and engineering in general shaped her study path. Elize wanted to do something that is challenging, multi-disciplinary, and provided the “mega factories” experience. Her advice for other women is to expose themselves to everything in the industry, and position yourself to succeed. Trust your instincts, do not let fear deter you, do it even if you’re afraid, be confident and live in the moment.
Yuliia Varchuk is now a Programs and Engineering manager after starting her journey with Ford Russia in 2004. At seven years old the Iron Curtain fell and she saw her first foreign movie, with a woman in jeans (denim was unavailable in the USSR) driving a red Ford bakkie. This image of freedom and luxury inspired Yuliia. At 15 years old her dream was to design a car, or be able to build or restore one. There were few higher education options in Saint Petersburg, and even fewer that focused on the automotive sphere, so she started as close to engines as she could get: as an apprentice foreman in aircraft-production. Fast forward 26 years and Yuliia works for Ford, drives a Ford bakkie, and could rebuild a car. A strong advocate for women to pursue careers in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, Varchuk admits that her blood is blue, and she continues to inspire women to bring new talent to male-dominated fields.
Nicolien de Beer proves that despite her young age, she’s not easily intimidated. She currently works at Ford Motus Rhodesfield in Kempton Park. During her matric year, the dealership was scouting for learners focusing on physics and maths who were interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field. Nicolien applied and is now a Diagnostic Technician. At the time she was one of the first women in the workshop but as a valued member of the team she receives the help and support from her colleagues to learn and grow.
