CAREER-VIEW MIRROR - biographies of colleagues in the automotive and mobility industries.

"Creating and nurturing a high-performing culture at the North Pole is one of my most important responsibilities as a leader. I use the principles of Fulfilling Performance to make sure my diverse team of elves, reindeer, and magical creatures not only excel at work but also thrive as individuals. Here’s how I do it…" We wanted a big name for this, our 200th Episode of CAREER-VIEW MIRROR...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Matthew Pretorius. Matt heads up the business and fleet sales channel at Electroverse, part of Octopus Energy here in the UK. He is starting this channel from the ground up and looking to expand it in the coming months. South African born Matt has been living in the UK for the last 20 years. He finished up his last two years of school in the...

In last week's Side Mirror episode "Produce results and grow the people", I talked about a significant experience during my leadership journey that took place in November 2006 when I was fortunate enough to participate in a leadership programme led by Ed Eppley. I suggested why as managers we need to not only produce results but also grow the people and shared a formula Skill x Effo...

In January 2007 I started a new role within BMW Financial Services which meant moving from the UK to the Asia Pacific regional office in Singapore. A few weeks before I moved I was invited to join a management training course with colleagues from my new region. It was held on a Private Game Reserve in South Africa. The location and the experience were memorable and so was the content of the progra...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Duncan Forrester. Duncan is a globally experienced Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and consultant who’s worked with many of the automotive industry’s most famous brands. He cut his teeth at BMW and Volvo in the UK, before being appointed as the global head of Product and Brand Communication for Volvo Cars in Sweden, soon after the...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Agustina Garcia. Agustina leads a team at BMW dedicated to integrating modular systems into future cars. She has a fascination for technology and communication and believes communication is the key for success in projects and relationships. Her favourite sentence in her company is “Be hard on the process and fair to the people.” And she take...

This is the third of three episodes about how the Guiding Principles of Fulfilling Performance can help us to manage our time or as I prefer to describe it, live our lives intentionally and deliberately. In the first episode I shared some paradigms or ways of looking at our lives that can support us to be more effective in taking ownership of the journey we are on. The second episode focused on ho...

Last week I published the first in this series of Side Mirror episodes about Time Management. It wasn’t my first choice title for this topic but I called it that so it would be as easy as possible to find for people who are looking for help managing their time. After all, they’re busy people. In the first episode I shared some paradigms or ways of looking at our lives that can support us to be mor...

In a recent Aquilae Academy peer mentoring session, team members were discussing how leaders can make time for themselves to do what the author Cal Newport calls "Deep work" when it seems that as soon as they walk through the door everyone wants to speak to them. On a call with a woman I am mentoring, she asked how can I manage all the demands on me without becoming stressed and overwhel...

The expert I've invited to join me in this episode is Amy Rowlinson. Shining a light on what is possible when you focus on why, Amy Rowlinson empowers people to forge their own path to create a purposeful, sustainable and fulfilling way of life. As a life purpose coach, podcast strategist and podcaster, Amy's chosen mission is to gift a living legacy of inspiration, insight and knowledge...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Jean-Luc Cartwright. Jean-Luc is a Director at Maple House Classic Cars His first experience in the motor industry came at the age of 13, working weekends cleaning cars at a Sports Car specialist in Cheshire in the Northwest of England. Jean-Luc describes himself as an eternal car nerd who has been fortunate to work with some of the most for...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Susanne Allmendinger-Vogt. Susanne is the founder of BB&R Brand Business & Responsibility Consulting. Prior to starting her business she had a 25 year career with BMW Group where her last role was Global Head of Brand and Communication Strategy for MINI. She has a curious mind always seeking the root causes behind the obvious. She&ap...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Paul Kirby. Paul is well known in the UK van world as "the Electric Van man" and as a member of The EV Café team. In our conversation we talk about his rocky start in life, and his career journey from his first job with a library suppliers as a warehouse person and van driver to  his current position. I'm grateful to Paul for...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Alexandra Smedley. Alexandra’s most recent role was Customer Care and Aftersales Director, Europe for General Motors based in Zurich, Switzerland. After an accomplished tenure with General Motors that took her to five distinct locations within and outside of the US, she’s says it’s time to pause and reflect. The desire to be rooted in commun...

In this episode I'm joined by Colin Tomlinson. Colin owns a learning and development company specialising in teaching Project Leadership and Management in the Civil Engineering and Construction industry.  He uses techniques adapted from his 24 years career as an Officer in the Royal Engineers and his 12 years of experience within the industry to help navigate through the complexities of worki...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Kwan Segal. Kwan is an experienced human-capital consultant and a career coach for International Students and immigrants in the US. With over 15 years of experience at global companies such as Deloitte, Accenture, and BMW, she has aided Fortune 500 firms in creating their talent strategies worldwide. Kwan is now the founder of ICAway /i-see-...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Lavanya Wadgaonkar PhD. Lavanya is Chief Communications Officer & Corporate Vice President, Nissan Motor Corporation. As Chief Communications Officer, Lavanya is responsible for strategic communications & campaigns, knowledge dissemination and outreach to the key audiences that Nissan seeks to influence with an aim to build reputatio...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Chris Kirby. Chris has been speaking about how technology will change the automotive landscape since he published a white paper on the subject in 2017. Since then, he co-founded Tomorrow's Journey, an Enterprise SaaS platform that enables automotive brands to launch and scale fully digital solutions, working globally with the likes of H...

In this Side Mirror, I talk about a powerful way to enhance our own capability that is open to every single one of us regardless of our circumstances. This episode is about learning from experience and the role that reflection plays in that. If you don't already do this, I want to encourage you to reflect on the experience you have built up during your life so far, value it and get into the h...

In this episode I use my first job to illustrate the contributing factors that came together to enable Fulfilling Performance for me. If you consider your current situation through the lens of Fulfilling Performance, how does it look? Does it provide the healthy levels of Clarity, Culture, Capability and Purpose required for you to experience Fulfilling Performance? Which of those areas, if they w...

In this episode I'm joined by Kees Jan Boorsma. Kees Jan is the owner of Global Automotive, Interim Management and Consultancy. They advise customers and provide interim management focusing on wholesale and retail in the global automotive industry. Their services are geared to OEMs, Importers and Retailers in diverse multicultural environments. They advise and execute in a competent, pragmati...

In this episode I'm joined by Louise Brogan. Louise runs a boutique marketing agency working with entrepreneurs, SME’s and professionals who want to raise their profile through LinkedIn in a genuine and valuable way. She is an international speaker, and hosts the LinkedIn with Louise Podcast and YouTube channel. For the past three years, Louise has been a Small Business Britain Champion, in t...

Stephanie May is Commercial Director of the Women Automotive Network, a global community of 34,000+, whose mission is to support and empower women in the automotive industry. She is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the automotive industry, and strongly believes in the power of working together for a better future. In her role, she is responsible for strategic partnerships and steering th...

In this episode I talk about how I began to transition very deliberately and intentionally from being in what was already a very good place career wise to now being in my element. I describe at a high level how I now spend most of my time engaged in work that I absolutely love doing.  I share why I decided to create this role for myself. I also explain how I set about doing it by describing the fi...

In this Side Mirror I address the topic of one to ones and demonstrate how by looking at them through the lens of Fulfilling Performance we can make them valuable and effective for the individual, their manager and the organisation which is, let’s not forget, paying their salaries. I refer to the following additional resources: Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub . Our weekly new...