Speaking on the keynote stage at Infosecurity Europe, Claire Williams, who served as team principal of the Williams F1 talked of the learning points and takeaways from her time in the sport.

Asked by editor Beth Maundrill how she was able to effect change when the team was underperforming, Williams admitted it was “not easy” to step in as team principal as she had “big shoes to fill” when she stepped into her father’s role as team principal, but she saw her role as the “guardian” for the team.

Making Changes

Williams, who is now global brand ambassador at WAE Technologies, an R&D division of Williams, talked of the need to make changes when she stepped in, including changing the engine from Renault to Mercedes, and doing a technical restructuring of the car.

Reflecting on the team’s decline during the last two decades, Williams said the results were hard to take, but she said it was important to reflect on hard times, and “you go through stages like this every day” and it was important to look at successes.

For example, she mentioned looking at small wins, such as shaving a second off a pit stop time.

Also, it was crucial to get the expectations to the team, “as sharing communications and delivering communications” were a key part of morale, especially as the team turns up 20+ times a year, and need to know what is expected.

She said there is always a need to “celebrate the things we did right and learn from our failures”, in particular reflecting on missing the testing deadline in 2019. However she said it made the team more resilient and made her restructure the operations department “so we never experience what was a catastrophic failure.”

Father’s Daughter

In her position of leadership, Williams talked about the need to make decisions fast and in advance, “and take time to consider the decisions you’re making.”

She said: “In a Grand Prix you’ve got to be prepared, and know every decision before I even sit on the pit wall.”

Talking about how the team had known her since she was a child, Williams talked of her working through the company post university to working in the press office, and dismissed criticism that she had only got the job because of her family connections.

“If you had talked to my Dad about cultural transformation, he wouldn’t have understood it! He was an inspiring leader who never gave up on the sport he loved.”

Dan Raywood Senior Editor SC Media UK

Dan Raywood is a seasoned B2B journalist with over 20 years of experience, specializing in cybersecurity for the past 15 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes. Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.