Claire Williams

Claire Williams was born in 1976 in Windsor, Berkshire. She is the daughter of Sir Frank Williams and Lady Virginia Williams.{{Cite web |date=2013-04-18 |title=My Secret Life: Claire Williams, 36, Williams F1 Deputy Team Principal |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-claire-williams-36-williams-f1-deputy-team-principal-8577220.html |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=The Independent |language=en}} She graduated from Newcastle University in 1999 with a degree in politics.{{cite web|author=Charlie Cooper|work=The Independent|date=20 April 2013|title=My Secret Life: Claire Williams, 36, Williams F1 Deputy Team Principal|access-date=29 April 2013|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/my-secret-life-claire-williams-36-williams-f1-deputy-team-principal-8577220.html?origin=internalSearch}}

After graduation, Williams became a press officer for the Silverstone racing circuit. In 2002, she joined the Williams F1 team as a Communications Officer and became Head of Communications in 2010. In March 2011, she took on the position of Head of Investor Relations to supplement her role in the communications team, playing a lead role as Williams moved from private to public ownership through listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2011.{{Cite web |title=Getting to know: Claire Williams OBE |url=https://www.salracing.com/story/2017/4/getting-to-know-claire-williams |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Salracing |date=10 July 2020 |language=en-US}} In 2012, she was promoted to Director of Marketing & Communications. When Frank Williams stepped down in March 2012, Claire became the Williams family representative on the board.{{cite web|author=Andrew Benson|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2 March 2012|title= Sir Frank Williams steps down from the Williams team board|access-date=30 May 2013|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17232798}}

In March 2013, she was appointed deputy team principal of the Williams F1 racing team.{{cite web|author=Andrew Benson|publisher= BBC Sport|date=28 March 2013|title=Williams names daughter Claire deputy team principal|access-date=29 April 2013|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/21954920}} In this role, she was de facto team boss and assumed the day-to-day running of the team from her father.{{Cite web |date=2020-09-03 |title=How Claire Williams's F1 era should be remembered |url=https://the-race.com/formula-1/how-claire-williamss-f1-era-should-be-remembered/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=The Race |language=en-GB}}{{cite web|author=formula1.com|publisher= formula1.com|date=17 May 2013|title=Claire Williams Q & A:I won't give up until we're back|access-date=3 June 2013|url=http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2013/5/14565.html}}

Taking over after some of the worst years in the team's history, Williams replaced the race drivers, signing Felipe Massa alongside Valtteri Bottas and restructuring the engineering department.{{Cite news |title=Williams not worried by £42.5m loss |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/32483800 |access-date=2023-04-04}}{{Cite news |title=Wolff to drive in F1 race practices |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/26303405 |access-date=4 April 2023}}{{Cite news |title=Williams relief ahead of new F1 season |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/26470458 |access-date=4 April 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Richards |first=Giles |date=25 July 2015|title=Claire Williams targets wins and world title as F1 team sense sunnier future |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/25/claire-williams-f1-hungarian-grand-prix |access-date=2023-04-04 |issn=0029-7712}} The team also switched to Mercedes engines and became a test-bed for the development of hybrid technology in engines and kinetic energy recovery systems, known as KERS.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-19 |title=Claire Williams is back at Williams - but not the F1 team |url=https://the-race.com/formula-1/claire-williams-is-back-at-williams-but-not-the-f1-team/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=The Race |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |date=2015-10-23 |title=Can technology take Williams to the front of the F1 grid? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-34528276 |access-date=4 April 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Ruddick |first=Graham |date=2015-11-16 |title=F1 contribution to UK economy is underrated, says Williams boss |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/nov/16/f1-contribution-to-uk-economy-undervalued-says-williams-boss |access-date=2023-04-04 |issn=0261-3077}} Williams also increased the team's racing budget by securing profitable corporate sponsorships, factors that helped the team to something of a renaissance between 2014 and 2017, when it finished third twice and then fifth twice.{{Cite news |title=Williams relief ahead of new F1 season |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/26470458 |access-date=2023-04-04}}{{Cite news |title=Williams up for sale after £13m loss |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/52847040 |access-date=2023-04-04}}

Under her leadership, Williams F1 launched initiatives guiding students into engineering careers, redeveloped the team's work with its official charity, the Spinal Injuries Association, and supported F1's sustainability strategy through the expansion of WAE Technologies.{{Cite web |title=Williams launch new engineering academy |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2014/11/Williams-launch-new-engineering-academy.html |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Spinal Injuries Association - Official Charity of Williams Racing |url=https://www.spinal.co.uk/news/sia-official-charity-williams-racing/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=SIA |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-02-16 |title=Claire Williams OBE appointed as Brand Ambassador for WAE Technologies - Business & Innovation Magazine |url=https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/claire-williams-obe-appointed-as-brand-ambassador-for-wae-technologies/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |language=en-GB}} George Russell thanked her for giving him his F1 break when he changed to Mercedes.{{Cite news |last=Cary |first=Tom |date=2021-09-08 |title=The boy who would be king: Claire Williams on how George Russell is 'F1 world champion in waiting' |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2021/09/08/boy-would-king-claire-williams-george-russell-f1-world-champion/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |issn=0307-1235}}

A keen advocate for greater diversity and inclusion within her team and across the sport, Williams wanted to use her position to change attitudes within motor racing, and to bring more women into motorsport and engineering.{{Cite news |title=Williams decline 'not because I am a mum' |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/51675113 |access-date=2023-04-04}}{{Cite news |last=Card |first=Jon |date=2017-03-24 |title=F1's Claire Williams on resilience, managing expectations and losing top talent |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connect/better-business/formula-one-claire-williams-resilience-expectations-losing-talent/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |issn=0307-1235}} She appointed female drivers Susie Wolff and Jamie Chadwick to development roles, set up a female ambassadors in schools initiative, supported the UK government's Women in Innovation scheme, created workplace opportunities for minority groups, promoted STEM subjects for female students and increased the proportion of women at Williams to 17.6%, the highest in the F1 paddock.{{Cite news |date=2020-09-03 |title=Team sold, Williams family to leave F1 after Italian GP |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-motor-f1-italy-idUSKBN25U2PS |access-date=2023-04-04}}{{Cite web |last=Line |first=Along the Racing |date=2022-03-06 |title=Claire Williams: An Inspiring and Uplifting Figure in F1's History |url=https://www.alongtheracingline.com/claire-williams-f1/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Along the Racing Line |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Oliver |date=2019-05-25 |title=Exclusive: Claire Williams will keep battling to upset F1's male-dominated world |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2019/05/25/dont-want-woman-claire-williams-will-keep-battling-upset-formula/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |issn=0307-1235}} She was also a patron of F1 in Schools and an ambassador for Dare to be Different.{{Cite web |date=2013-09-02 |title=Claire Williams joins F1 in Schools |url=http://www.pitpass.com/49777/Claire-Williams-joins-F1-in-Schools |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Pitpass}}{{Cite web |last=Butterworth |first=Emma |date=2021-01-11 |title=Inspirational Women in Motorsport: Claire Williams |url=https://www.formulanerds.com/news/inspirational-women-in-motorsport-claire-williams/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=FormulaNerds.com |language=en-US}}

Williams was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Formula 1 racing in the 2016 Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=61608 |supp=y|page=B15|date=11 June 2016}}

Faced with the economic impact of the pandemic plus commercial terms that increasingly favoured the big teams, Williams was forced to put the team up for sale in order to secure its future, subsequently selling to private investment firm Dorilton in August 2020.{{Cite web |title=Williams F1 racing team sold to US-based investment firm Dorilton Capital |url=https://news.sky.com/story/williams-f1-racing-team-sold-to-us-based-investment-firm-dorilton-capital-12053765 |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Sky News |language=en}} On 3 September 2020, Williams announced she was resigning as deputy team principal of the Williams team after the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. Before the race, at the Williams motorhome, she was given the front wing of a Williams FW36 as a souvenir.{{Cite web|title=Claire Williams gifted nose and front wing assembly from 2014 car as family bows out of F1 {{!}} Formula 1®|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.claire-williams-gifted-nose-and-front-wing-assembly-from-2014-car-as-family.0z3iV1WEmbDsDsbpKoxjX.html|access-date=15 December 2020|website=www.formula1.com|language=en}}

On 5 April 2017, Williams announced that she was pregnant with her first child, a boy.{{cite tweet|user=WilliamsRacing|author=WILLIAMS RACING|number=849547238011437058|date=5 April 2017|title=We have a very special congratulations today……!}} She gave birth to her son in October 2017.{{cite web |url=http://www.crash.net/f1/news/884556/1/claire-williams-gives-birth-to-a-boy |title=F1: Claire Williams gives birth to a boy |work=www.crash.net |date=10 October 2017 |access-date=11 October 2017}} In January 2018, Williams announced her marriage to Marc Harris.{{cite tweet|user=WilliamsRacing|author=WILLIAMS RACING|number=954639652786499590|date=20 January 2018|title=Congratulations to Claire & Marc...}}

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Category:1976 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of Newcastle University

Category:English motorsport people

Category:Formula One team owners

Category:Formula One team principals

Category:Williams Grand Prix Engineering

Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Category:People from Windsor, Berkshire