CHOSEN BECAUSE: 

Joining General Motors’ Canadian Technical Centre in 2011 was an easy decision for electrical engineer Laura Barlow. “The position was in controls, and my passion was in controls systems,” she says. 

Eight years later, Barlow is at the forefront of some of GM’s most innovative work on electric and autonomous vehicles. In 2016, she joined the active-safety and-autonomous team as the controls technical specialist for diagnostics. In a role she describes as “supercool,” Barlow, 31, provided support during the launch of Super Cruise, a lane-keeping system introduced in the Cadillac CT6 sedan. As one of just three women in her class of 30 graduates from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, in Oshawa, Ont., Barlow encourages other women to pursue their dreams. 

IN HER OWN WORDS: 

“Always believe that you can do anything even within engineering. Keep in mind people want to hear what you have to say, because I believe we need more females in this industry. The power of diversity of thought can really promote excellence in products.”