Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

My names Ellen I’m 28 years old and have been a service advisor at vines Gatwick for 3 years now. In my last few job roles they have been mainly male dominated – I thrive in being that change.

What made you chose the role you are in now?

I am into cars and all things engines – however I am no tech – but I wanted to be involved regardless – this job role is a test and throws challenges everyday – also working with an all male technical team – I like to throw out the stigma only males can do this role or only males can be on the technical side – I’d like to come across as a strong minded women – my team will get the respect back they give me.

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

I started out in a contact centre role at another BMW site – and went from there.

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

Getting employee of the month, passing my service advisor accreditation first time. Continuing to thrive while dealing with all challenges.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

If you feel confident enough within yourself to succeed in what was a male dominated environment that’s all that matters – Be the change.​

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I am a bit of an old lady when it comes to hobbies. I like gardening, baking and teaching myself new DIY skills. For anyone that will listen…I built a brick wall last year, very proud.

I have worked for Vines for around 18 months as Group HR Business Partner. I support with all things people related such as Peakon, Recruitment, focus groups and generally helping Vines managers to support their departments.

What made you chose the role you are in now?

I have worked in HR for almost 8 years working in a variety of roles from administration to recruitment and employee relations. My current role is a great mixture of each of those specialisms plus engagement which really appealed to me.

I had also worked in large financial services organisations, and I wanted to work in a completely different industry where I felt like I could make a difference rather than being seen as a number.

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

In my late teens/ early 20’s I was a pastry chef, but the hours and environment were terrible, so I took a step into a contact centre as a customer service advisor. The HR representative who conducted my interview gave me such a good impression it got me into considering a role in HR so when an HR administrator role cropped up within the same company I jumped at the chance.

I then worked my way through variety of roles and HR related courses.

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

For me it’s seeing our new starters thrive and succeed in their new roles. I absolutely love hearing when someone is making a big impact on Vines, their team, and our customers.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

Make the jump, you won’t regret it. We can only break the stigma associated with the automotive industry by sharing our experiences with others. There are so many opportunities for success, and I truly believe the industry is equitable across all levels.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I am Teresa, I live at home with my fireman hubby and 19-year-old son. I cook a very decent roast dinner! I love my friends and holidays.

I work as a Senior Service Advisor at Vines Redhill. As a service advisor we take care of all customers booked in for Servicing, Repairs, MOT’s & Recalls. We meet and greet customers in the morning, and then process their cars through the workshop, pass on any identified requirements, and ensure everything that the customer has requested is carried out. We also deal with all phone enquiries and walk ins. It's predominantly a customer service role but also involves sales and admin.

As a Senior we also assist the Manager when required, prepare the daily jobs for the team and help influence Vines values.

What made you chose the role you are in now?

I didn’t really choose this role, it chose me but I love people and because its very much a people role, I enjoy it!

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

After returning from travelling, I had to help out a friend who was running a temping agency by covering the reception at Mercedes Benz.

They then asked me to be a service advisor.

This then changed to service team managers, so you had your own technicians and basically run your day. I really enjoyed this.

When I had my son I changed my role a little (to be flexible with child care/commitments) and done a more marketing/sales support role.

Once my son was old enough I could then come back to Service and got the job in MINI as service advisor.

My biggest strength is customer service and I had success with MINI and so I was asked to be a senior advisor and help influence the team with Voice of the Customer.

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

To be selected for the potential Managers course and my project as part of that being a success!

Vines having the faith in me to be a leader has been a great achievement. I learned a lot from the course and look forward to growing in the future.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

It is not a man’s world, it is an exciting industry where opportunities will arise if you want them to.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I joined Vines in Vines 2016 responsible for the Groups HR and Training.

What made you chose the role you are in now?

I wanted to work for a Company where I could really make a difference to the employee lifecycle and not just be a cog in a machine.

I thought about what it would be like as a female working in a male dominated industry, but I realised by accepting the role I would be in an influential position where I could challenge and change those perceptions and build a culture I was proud to be a part of.

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

I am a people person, so when I had to do work experience through school, I could not work out why I had been placed in an HR department of a large Financial Services company.

How wrong was I… I haven’t looked back after that week, I knew HR was the career for me.

What I love about working in HR is that it gives me the opportunity to interact and influence a variety of people from all walks of life, all with different stories and challenges.

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

Success for me is seeing others succeed, whether that is supporting someone’s professional ambitions or helping someone through the challenges of everyday life. Being able to do that in my role every day and see the positive impact it has on people’s life is my proudest achievement.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

You don’t have to act like a man to work in a male dominated industry, just be you.

Be that person who help breaks the mould and challenges the social norms… ‘I am a successful female working as a Senior Executive in the automotive industry.’

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I joined Vines in 2019 and work as one of the Management Accountants for our Redhill & Gatwick Sites.

What made you chose the role you are in now?

Working in my current role at Vines really allows me to have a voice and influence over areas of opportunity within the Vines Group and get involved in many aspects of the overall business not just the financial side.

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

I have worked in the motor industry for over 25 years. I trained as an accountant after leaving school and had worked doing management accounts in other industries.

When the opportunity to work in the motor industry came up I was told that accountancy wise it was very different from anything I had previously done … it is so much more involved and challenging than perhaps some other more straight forward industries however, it is also much more interesting and rewarding too.

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

Last year I was very involved in our Brilliant Basics Programme which has involved developing and delivering Training Workshops and a Brilliant Basics Guide Booklet. The whole project has been well received across the entire business and it is something very different to the day to day accounting that I normally get involved in. It was a real opportunity for me to be able to link the actions around what we do and how we behave back to our overall performance as a business.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

The automotive industry offers a huge variety of interesting, challenging and rewarding roles to women across all areas from Accounts through to Vehicle Technicians and Sales Executives. Don’t be put off that it may come across as a male dominated industry, it really isn’t. It has changed massively in the 25 years I have been working in it and I love to see more and more women coming into the automotive industry and having successful and rewarding careers within it.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I joined Vines in 2009 – over my tenure I have looked after our Customer Services Team & Marketing & CRM teams. As of 2023, my responsibilities have expanded to support the business with Project Management in supporting new launching new systems, processes and delivering business strategies to help drive business success.

What made you chose the role you are in now?

The customer journey plays a fundamental part of winning customers to you as a brand or a business. The idea that I could influence customers engagement levels, through my departments, felt like an exciting challenge and opportunity.

The automotive industry is a fast evolving industry. I get really passionate about trying new things & or ways of working to achieve our business objectives; with a culture of being supportive, Vines is a safe space to let me explore innovation in my role.

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

I knew early on in exploring my career options that Marketing & Customer Relation Management was in the cards for me.

I study to get myself going on my career path, gaining a Bachelor in Business Administration majoring in Communications. I have worked at Marketing Agencies and within Vines over the course of my career and it’s an interesting journey.

The most important thing I have realised is that there are so many different specialities and skills in marketing; find out what you really connect with. Are you a creative marketeer or analytical / process driven? Lean into what feels most like you so you can thrive and find the right role for you. I am analytical / process head.

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

I wouldn’t say there is one thing specifically.

I get great joy out of seeing changes that me and my team make, that create a new and improved way of working; either resulting in saving people time, giving us more insights to make business decisions or launching a product that helps everyone ensure our customers have an improved and meaningful customer experience with Vines.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

Be your authentic self regardless of gender.

We all have our unique strengths and experiences that help us navigate personal interactions and what life throws at us; embrace it and help us create a diverse voice in the automotive sector.

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I Joined Vines back in 2012. Started as a receptionist and now I am working as a Business Manager.

What made you chose the role you are in now?

I have done many roles within my career at Vines. However I have always wanted to be a Business Manager after working in sales for so long. Everyday is different and I love the team aspect of the role, the challenges that it brings plus still get the customer facing element too. To me that’s a win win.

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

I feel I started from the ground and worked up within Vines. I never knew much about the motor trade before I started I just loved the brand and the company.

After working in the sales team, I moved across to training new starters across the group for a year which gave me so much more insight to the group’s working rather than just Guildford. When I was given the opportunities to put what I had learnt into practice, I couldn’t say no. Now I am 4 years nearly into this role and I love it.

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

There have been too many for me to name. Proving I could exceed targets in a male environment.

Passing my Business Manager certification and creating friends for life in the network.

Success is also me seeing others succeed in my training role and my role now as a manager.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

Some of the best peers and leaders I have worked with in the industry have been female, that gives me the drive that I hope to be one of them one day.

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I have been working in the Motor Industry for 38 years. I have been a service Administrator, then a Warranty Administrator. LBDM and Corporate Account Executive. Currently I’m working in Retail Sales Admin, learning this job, as well as doing some corporate work.

What made you chose the role you are in now?

I wanted a change from Aftersales.

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

I took voluntary redundancy and took some time off through the summer. This industry stays with you, this time I decided to go for something I had not done before and ended up here at Vines. Been with them for 8 + Years. Lovely company to work for.

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

Learning new things and making a customer happy.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

Do not disregard the Motor Industry, everything is possible.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I joined Vines in 2017 as BMW Genius for the sales department. I have since progressed through a variety of roles, leading me to my current position of Group Facilities and Health & Safety Manager. This involves overseeing required building maintenance, site project work, contractor management, health and safety management and so on!

What made you chose the role you are in now?

I’ve always had an interest in cars and bikes since I was young, having been surrounded by family members who all have a passion for nice cars.

I knew I wanted to be in the automotive industry but wasn’t sure where to start. I then saw the BMW Genius role advertised and was successful! This was a great steppingstone for me to begin my journey, selling BMW’s.

Thereafter, I hoped to seek a different challenge and due to internal changes down the line, I have most recently been lucky to be given the opportunity to undertake my current role which I have been doing for about 2 years now.

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

My career path is now completely different to what I thought I wanted to do right at the beginning of my career with Vines. As mentioned, I started in the Sales team as a BMW Genius and then onto a BMW Sales Executive for 3 years or so. I enjoyed my time as a Sales Executive and is most definitely a challenging role but wanted a different challenge. A role became available for a Group Sales Trainer. I applied internally and was successful. Due to internal role changes during COVID, I became the Group Facilities & Training Co-ordinator which soon progressed to Group Facilities and Health & Safety Manager, due to the demand of the role!

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

I have recently been project managing a new development of EV Infrastructure for all the sites across Vines Group. I have been working on this project for approx. 18 months, costing almost £1M! When this was first presented to me as a professional development opportunity and began to investigate the level of detail of this project, I noticed the lack of knowledge I had about anything EV and honest to say was nervous and slightly overwhelmed! However, I am always up for a challenge and keen to learn, so with the help of both colleagues and an external consultant, I’m happy to say that the project is nearly complete, and I have learned so much along the way! Also flattered that my colleagues and senior members of the group trusted me with such a responsibility.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

The automotive industry is nowhere near as intimidating as a lot of women may think it might be!

Yes, currently it is male dominated but we are seeing more and more women thrive in the industry. Everyone is so welcoming, kind and helpful. I can also guarantee will have lots of fun, learn a lot and make many friends along the way!​

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I joined Vines Group back in 2008 having no previous experience in automotive! I wanted to be a veterinary nurse and worked on a farm before Vines, realised there was no career path to grow where I was so started to look for something new and came across the job in the paper for a Receptionist role at Vines of Guildford MINI. I was sold when I saw the aspirational MINI badge and really wanted the job! I wasn’t sure I would be offered the job as I had no previous experience, but luckily they saw something in me and took me on.

In my role now I look after all our new starters into the business along with any support they require to get them to their probations, this includes coordinating training and development opportunities. I am currently in the process of creating induction plans and career paths for each role in the business. I also offer support with our apprentices across the group ensuring they are on track to completing their apprenticeships to become fully qualified in their roles.

I also get to help coordinate employee wellbeing initiatives for the year which is a nice thing to be involved in.

What made you chose the role you are in now?

I have always loved working with people so it seemed a good transition from my PA role where confidentiality and people skills were key. It was a great place to start my HR journey.

How did you get to the role you are in now / career path?

I started as a Receptionist and was in this role for around 3 months’, then moved into CRM and Database Management for around 3 years’, I was then given the opportunity to interview for the PA to the Head of Business which for me was a huge step in my progression and really out of my comfort zone. I did this for around 7 years which flew by, it was only when the Managing Director said to me where do I see myself progressing to next that I thought about my options and raised that I was interested in getting into HR. When a role in HR eventually became available which I was successful in getting it and I’ve not looked back since. I’ve been really lucky with the progression opportunities Vines have offered me to further my career. I’m hoping to eventually complete some HR courses to challenge myself further which will have the support from Vines.

What’s been your greatest achievement whilst working at Vines Group?

It’s such an achievement being able to help and support people around the business with their training and development, watching them grow and progress into their chosen career.

What is the most important message you want to send out to women considering a job in the automotive industry?

We’re always looking to encourage more women into our industry and it’s great to see this happening more and more. Don’t be afraid to pursue something you wish to do just because it’s a male dominant industry. Women are quite capable of doing exactly what men can do in our industry; with that said we’re excited to have a female apprentice technician with us in her second year and various senior management roles being led by females which is always encouraging and inspiring!