Protyre
 

Women In The Automotive Industry

Building an inclusive workplace

Across MTS we have fantastic examples of the huge and positive impact of women in the workplace, and where once it might have been an assumed 'male orientated' industry, there are now a large percentage of females employed across Logistics, Retail, Wholesale and Group.

Don’t just take our word for it!

Read some testimonials from some of the many women of Micheldever Group Ltd:

As a group we are already aware of the benefits of building an inclusive and diverse workforce. Our focus is to hire the right person for the right job with the right skills regardless of their gender. We do however work in an industry that is predominantly male orientated and we want to promote the fact we have female Mechanics, Site Managers, Transport Managers and Sales Teams, not to mention the more common roles in Finance, IT and HR. We recognise the value diversity brings, different people with different backgrounds, we are proud to say we have increased our female population by 125% in the last 5 years, and this continues to grow!

Hannah Shaw

Tyre Fitter at Elmbridge Tyres - Team Protyre

Hannah is a tyre fitter at one of our retail garages, Elmbridge Tyres – Team Protyre, in Swadlincote, fitting tyres to anything from wheel barrows, to large agricultural vehicles. Hannah also does front of house customer service and out of hours call outs for commercial vehicles:

“I got into tyre fitting by chance really, I have always been a hands-on person that loves to work outside. I have worked as a farmer all my life really as I was bought up on a farm so did this before I started tyre fitting. The job came up while the company was still under the original owners at Elmbridge tyres which was also my family’s business. The job for a tyre fitter came up and I thought why not I enjoy physical work so I’ll give it a try. Four years on (exactly on the 10th of march) I absolutely love it! I never dreamed I’d become a tyre fitter but I’ve never looked back I really enjoy it”

Mandy Mosley

Mobile Tyre Fitting Manager at Hawleys Tyres - Team Protyre

Mandy started her career as an Account Manager and progressed up to the role of Mobile Fitting Manager at Hawleys Tyres - Team Protyre. Below is her story:

"I started working for Hawley’s back in 2007 as an account manager, the owners recognised my eye for detail and I moved into the position of mobile manager.

This job allows me to work with lots of different people and no two days are ever the same which I really enjoy. I am very proud of the team I have built and to be able to deliver great customer service within my job role.

In November 2015 Hawley’s Tyres was taken over by Protyre which I found to be a new and exciting time with lots of new opportunities for me to sharpen my skills within a much larger business. The experience I have gained over the years working with various businesses gives me a good understanding on what great customer service is, I will use these skills within the Protyre network to my full advantage which will add value to the business"

Debbie Connolly

Wholesale Manager at Tyreland Southampton - Team Protyre

Debbie started her journey at Micheldever Group Ltd as a tyre delivery driver for local garages working her way up to Wholesale Manager:

"I was delivering to hundreds of customers throughout the South coast and delivering on behalf of Winnall warehouse. I have a very good, friendly, strong team of 12 working with me that’s why we are where we are now. I enjoy my job and every day is different. A great environment to work in."

Sue Ollier

Truck Operations Manager

Sue is currently a Truck Operations Manager for Protyre. Below she recalls her journey with Micheldever Group Ltd

"I started in the industry in 1976 as a receptionist I have always loved working with my colleagues and our customers. I have met many different people over the years and have built up a strong customer base and relationship with them.

I have always made it my goal to know all sides of the business as I felt this way I could achieve my goal to become a Manager and more. I have always been interested in the commercial truck side of the business and I am due to start a new role on the operations side of truck for the north also the roll out of e job sheets. I also help with acquisitions which involves training on our systems and helping to ease staff transition from one company to another. I feel that working for Protyre can give many opportunities to women as all roles are accessible to women from apprenticeships to management"

Laura Thompson, Payroll (Central)

I used to work in KFC! It had its perks, and I started working there when I was at college.

I got a phone call from a recruiter one day and he told me that I had been successful with my application as a payroll administrator, but I didn’t realise that I had even applied! After a few months I was promoted to a senior payroll administrator and shortly after that I became a team leader. I learned a lot about overseeing people, but at KFC I often managed 50 people (not at the same time) as it was one of the busiest stores in the UK!

I was working for the NHS when the opportunity to work at MTS came up; I wanted to explore a different payroll environment. I am now a payroll specialist, and I am studying a CIPP which is a higher management foundation degree. However, I do not think that people need a degree to succeed in life and before this I felt I could achieve regardless.

There have been many women join the company in the last few years, but I think that this company helps to grow people regardless of their sex. You will be given the opportunity based on skillset.

Ruth Purdy, FW & PA Manager (Central)

I did a degree and when I finished, I wasn’t sure what to do next. I decided to do an accountancy qualification, got myself into the world of finance and worked my way up. I have been a Finance Analyst, Assistant Accountant and Management Accountant and in my current role I am a Financial Planning and Analysis Manager. I work with the Wholesale and Logistics teams, providing financial analysis to these divisions.

I have only worked for MTS since May 2021. It has certainly been eventful (in a positive way) and getting up to speed in the role and doing my first budget here was a busy but rewarding experience.

I am looking forward to the year ahead and getting out and meeting more people in person, especially after restrictions made this very difficult previously.

Shirleyann Knowles, Ashford Sales Office Manager (Wholesale)

I started working for ‘Tyreweb’ in an admin role when I was only 16. Eventually in 2009 MTS bought the Tyreweb business and I took on an account manager role for seven years. I then became a team leader before being appointed the Ashford Sales Office Manager in 2018.

Working for Micheldever has given me such a great opportunity to work in various roles, and I have picked up new and crucial skills in leadership and management training.

I’m quite proud to say it is an all-female office (all sexes are welcome to join!). Being a woman in this industry was at one point, a rarity. But then again, working for MTS as a female has never held me back or been an obstacle.

Paula Roberts, Protyre Rhyl Centre Manager (Retail)

Well, my story is a bit different. I started in the tyre industry 15 years ago, and I had previously worked in hairdressing…

I worked in the Wholesale industry for a long time until I became a rep in the North Wales area.

Being a woman in a male dominated trade has been more of an advantage. It somehow compensated for not being a Welsh speaker in some of the areas I covered, although maybe I had to prove my knowledge more than a man might? I think it is great to see women in the tyre and car trade, and I would love to see many more.

Since my garage become part of Protyre, there has been so many opportunities to develop, and the support has been overwhelming! I have felt like part of the family since day one, and to be presented with two awards at the recent roadshow was simply amazing!

What more can I say, I’m a centre manager working for a big tyre company, who started in a little hairdressers in Rhyl!

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is an annual global event that celebrates the achievements and challenges that women experience, as well as bringing greater attention on women’s rights.

At MTS we always want to highlight and promote the great work that goes on across the business and recognise employees' achievements/stories. Everyone has a story, and here’s several examples of different career journeys from some who you may (or may not) know!

Micheldever Group Ltd logo

Set Up an Account Protyre Customer Portal

Copyright (c) - 2022 Micheldever Tyre Services Ltd. Registered office: Micheldever Station, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 3AP.
Registered number: 1817398. VAT Number: GB 876 3353 94.

© Copyright 2024 Micheldever Group LtdWeb Design By Toolkit Websites