DealerSocket’s CEO is among the industry publication’s prestigious list, which it has published every five years since 2000
DALLAS, December 21, 2020 — DealerSocket, Inc., a leading SaaS provider to the automotive industry, today announced the naming of CEO Sejal Pietrzak to Automotive News’ 2020 Class of 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry. Pietrzak and her co-honorees appeared in a special section of the publication’s Nov. 9 issue and were recognized during an exclusive virtual celebration sponsored by Automotive News and Deloitte.
The 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry recognizes women leaders in the automotive field — individuals who make major decisions and significantly influence their companies. Automotive News has published the list of the industry’s top female executives every five years since 2000. This year’s honorees consists of CEOs, COOs, CIOs, engineers, plant managers, and dealer principals representing 72 companies.
“I’m extremely honored to have been selected to be among this incredible group of leaders in this year’s class of 100 Leading Women,” said Pietrzak. “The award that highlights Leading Women and the related conference event have played an instrumental role in the industry’s focus on diversity and inclusion, shining a well-deserved light on the women who are leading their organizations and are making significant positive impacts in the automotive industry.”
The recognition marked the second in less than a month for Pietrzak, who was also named a Women in Retail honoree by auto industry publication Auto Remarketing on Oct. 12. Pietrzak also ranked at No. 7 on The Software Report‘s Top 50 SaaS CEOs list in 2019, a year in which Pietrzak was also named a 2019 Women in Technology award recipient by the Dallas Business Journal.
Pietrzak joined DealerSocket in 2017 with a focus on delivering exceptional customer service and award-winning software solutions to the company’s valued auto dealer clients. In 2020, she spearheaded the acquisition of Auto/Mate and its award-winning dealership management system (DMS) to offer dealers an integrated portfolio of products across DealerSocket’s software suite. The company now supports more than 9,000 dealerships in North American and Australia.
Before joining DealerSocket, Pietrzak spent 12 years in executive and leadership roles at enterprise software company ACTIVE Network, including chief administrative officer, general manager, and senior vice president of international. She also held leadership and strategic growth roles at Wells Fargo and served as executive director of the U.S.-India Busines Council in the international division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Earlier in her career, Pietrzak was a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group.
Pietrzak earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree with honors from the College of William & Mary. She is currently a member of C200, a powerful community that includes some of the most successful women in business.
When Pietrzak joined DealerSocket, she instituted paid maternity and paternity leave policies at the company, which did not exist. This year, she recently sponsored the formation of SocketWomen, an employee resource group to bring together women team members and focus on education, empowerment, mentorship, and connections. Earlier this year, Pietrzak also launched an initiative to promote diversity and inclusion across DealerSocket’s organization of more than 1,200 employees, with five unity groups and several events promoting diversity, and inclusion across the company.
“A comparison of the 2020 and 2015 Automotive News lists of 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry confirms that the status of women in the industry continues to improve. There are 13 CEOs of automakers and suppliers on the list this time, up from six in 2015 and two in 2010,” said Mary Beth Vander Schaaf, Automotive News managing editor and leader of the project.
The 2020 class of Automotive News‘ 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry emerged from a months-long nomination and judging process that attracted hundreds of entries from the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“Our selection committee made many difficult decisions,” said Vander Schaaf. “The talented, powerful executives on this list are at the forefront of thousands of successful women in the auto industry.”
Since 1925, Automotive News has been the primary source for news happening among automotive retailers, suppliers, and manufacturers. Distinct from other publications in the field, Automotive News remains a fully subscriber-paid publication, a testament to the value it delivers to the reader. The award-winning weekly print edition, robust website, email newsletters, and video broadcasts are backed by a global team of more than 65 editors and reporters.