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NEWS RELEASE
/FIAT ENGINEER VOTED AUTOMOTIVE WOMEN OF THE YEAR
The 'Automotive News Europe', the European edition of the influential American magazine 'Automotive News', has elected Fiat engineer Cristina Siletto as 'Automotive Woman of the Year 2002'.
This prize recognises the determination and professional skills of Siletto, who leads the Project 199, the car which will replace the Fiat Punto in 2005. Siletto leads a team of thirty people and is the manager for relations with over 150 external suppliers and General Motors engineers. This new model will be the first to share important components with the UScar maker, as part of the industrial alliance between Fiat and General Motors. ”I must respect the deadlines, the costs and the quality standards,” she told Automotive News about vital role in Fiat. “Then I have to market a car which consumers can perceive as a real step forward, as the Fiat Uno was in relation to the 127, and the first Punto in relation to the Uno.”With this award, the prestigious magazine aimed to reward 'the woman who has reached the highest level in the history of the Italian motor industry'. This opinion is shared by Gianni Coda, head of the Fiat, Lancia and Light Commercial vehicles Business Unit: “Cristina Siletto's technical capabilities, human qualities and above all her determination and effectiveness convinced us that she was the right person to manage Project 199 which is a strategic model for Fiat.”Cristina Siletto (37) was born in Turinand has a degree in Electronic Engineering from Turin Polytechnic. She has had a passion for computers and electronics since she was a child: her father was an executive in the Olivetti Engineering department, while her mother taught computer science and her younger brother followed her to University. She joined Fiat in 1990 where she immediately began to design electrical, electronic and self-diagnosis systems for engines. In 1994 she began to apply the results of her work on future models such as the Multipla and the Seicento. The latter brought her first professional record when, aged just 33, she was put in charge of 'Product Management' for the Fiat city-car runabout after she had spent 1997 and 1998 commuting between Italy and Poland to monitor the car's development. In 2000 and 2001 she worked on the restyling of the Punto – due to be launched this year – and moved to Project 199 in 2002. In addition to her professional skills, Cristina Siletto has numerous interests: she loves the cinema and is a great fan of Woody Allen. Her friends describe her as an excellent cook, and have no qualms about inviting themselves to dinner on the rare weekends when she is not out of town, sailing or skiing.
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For further information:
Newton Head / Edward RoweGroup Operations Manager / Public Relations Manager
Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd / Ateco Automotive
Ph: (02) 9558 7111 / Ph: (02) 9558 7111
Mob: 0419 722 888 / Mob: 0407 913 244
Fax: (02) 9558 7722 / Fax: (02) 9558 7722
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EJR/ejr/001
10/11/2001