Keiko Ihara was one of the first women in Japan to become a top racing driver.

Navigating such a male-dominated environment was not easy, but she proved her critics wrong and rose to the top of her field.

She has also recently become the first female independent director of Japanese carmaker Nissan: a significant move in a country where four out of five listed companies are reported not to have a single woman on their boards.

Video Journalist: Marco Silva