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There really is no typical day; my calendar can move hourly between the Opel side of the business and the Fiat, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Honda side. I have learned a balance in the last year, and it works well because I have an excellent team and ongoing support from the Managing Directors on both sides along with the wider Gowan Group.
Any given day can see us discussing and planning launch marketing activity for one of the many new models coming for Fiat, Jeep and Alfa Romeo over the next months, meetings with new prospective dealers, reviewing customer satisfaction results for Opel or discussions around new dealer contracting for all brands. The role is massively diverse and as someone with a strong creative drive, it works unbelievably well for me as it never fails to challenge me in so many ways
The automotive industry has always been a male-dominated arena to operate in as a woman. Although there have been so many technological advancements through the years with vehicles, the way the industry has done business has changed very little in the last few decades. New distribution models and the ever-increasing rate of consumer adoption of electric vehicles will see that change more in the coming years. Coupled with the number of women being appointed to senior roles will mean that the industry will change more in the next five to seven years than it has in the last 50 years, and I feel privileged that I get to be a part of those monumental changes.
I can’t say that I haven’t experienced situations much earlier in my career, where a prospective new dealer may have been surprised to see a female Network Developer walk through his door and may have initially believed that I was there to lay across the car rather than negotiate on behalf of the brand itself. Those initial impressions were always dispelled quickly, however, when they began to see the knowledge base I operated from and mutual respect was quickly reached. Those experiences were very few and I can honestly say that I have always been lucky enough to work with exceptional men within the automotive industry, who place no significance on gender within a team. Everyone is treated equally, and all ideas are embraced and shared in the same way. Women bring a different dynamic to the industry, and men have been quick to recognise the value and strength that female colleagues add to a team.
It may sound cliché but there is definitely no typical workday in HR. The variety is certainly what makes it so busy yet enjoyable. Over the past three and a half years we have acquired seven new brands into Gowan Auto to join Peugeot and Honda. The new brands include Opel, Citroen, DS, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Fiat Professional and Jeep, which meant the onboarding and consolidation of many new team members into the company. We recently merged into one motor distribution company, Gowan Auto, which involved HR strategic input. More recently my role took on a new tangent being heavily involved in the project management of the renovations, open plan layout, furnishing and relocation to our new Gowan Auto premises in Citywest.
While the automotive industry is predominantly male-dominated, this is certainly changing; a change which is welcome and progressive for our industry. No doubt there were some challenges along the way, but determination and growing confidence helped to overcome such challenges. I work very collaboratively with my male colleagues across the Group, some of whom I would consider mentors in my earlier career. As HR Director, I am very conscious of driving the change of gender balance in our industry and we have a phenomenal team of female colleagues working across the whole group. We are privileged that our company is owned by five female shareholders, Mrs Gemma Smith-Maughan and her four daughters who have been hugely supportive of growing female participation in our industry.