Women in automotive repair

In 2005, something unusual happened in the automotive crash repair industry – an offshoot industry concept, that of accident management – was established by an ex-panelbeater who later became a 50 percent shareholder/manager in one of New Zealand’s largest collision repair facilities.

Accident management, while new to this country, is a mature industry elsewhere around the globe, but 13 years ago it was unheard of in New Zealand. Crash Management – as it is today – remains the original New Zealand owned and operated accident management company.

In a nutshell, Crash Management is the first port of call for SME fleets, corporates and individuals who have the misfortune to suffer a vehicle collision.

One phone call to Crash Management gets the wheels in motion to ensure drivers are taken care of, as is the vehicle. Insurance companies are notified, along with any number of nominated contact people within the driver’s organisation and – if required – a complementary replacement vehicle is sourced and delivered while the repairs to the crashed vehicle get underway.

Perhaps the best way to think of Crash Management is as your automotive guardian angel at the end of the phone, and as fleet operators all know, having someone out there looking after your people and vehicle assets is the next best thing to being with your people yourself.

Alright, that’s what Crash Management does, so who are Crash Management?

Managing director and founder of Crash Management is Karen Knight, a name some might recognise from the Body Shop, the panel-shop where Karen started her automotive career ‘’on the tools’’ and later became a shareholder/manager before selling it, doing an MBA in business management, then taking on a two year role at what was Esanda, now Fleetpartners, before developing the idea of Crash Management.

Since 2005, Karen has taken her company through many changes, modifying Crash Management’s service offering and tailoring it to meet the needs of the fleet market which in many cases, didn’t know it needed what Crash Management provides so very well.

To maintain the level of change the industry demands, Karen found she had to find good people who understood the collision repair industry and the different facets of it, so she began recruiting, and while it was never intended to go the way it did, Karen’s dedicated team of six all ended up being women – so let’s meet the team:

In no particular order, there’s Lynn, whose background was originally in banking. Later on, Lynn’s attention turned to being a mum and from there, she worked in a panel shop in a management role.

Bronwyn, one of the newest members of the team, came from the very interesting background of insurance office manager first then as process server for a private investigation company. Not the sort of job you find on just any resume.

Another team member’s background is telecommunications, then computers, then the demanding world of automotive leasing and finally working with an auto manufacturer/distributor.

Shannon comes from an insurance background, starting first with cars, then extending her expertise to motorcycle claims. Tough job…

Noeleen has a wealth of experience in insurance as well, this time as a broker, which is certainly a transferable skill as far as her work at Crash Management is concerned.

Then there’s Ginnah, another recent addition to the team who has likewise put in the hard yards in the insurance industry as a claims handler and administrator with Cunningham Lindsey.

Did any of these women see themselves doing the role they do today? Well, not really. From wanting to be a vet, to a customer service role, wanting to be a teacher or rest home caregiver, a test-thewaters- didn’t-like-it hairdressing career ‘chopped short’, a computer support officer and a budding tourism entrepreneur, Karen couldn’t have found a more diverse list of

career aspirants if she had tried!

The best part however, is the combined roles and skillsets required and learned across the Crash Management team, have added value and a high degree of professionalism as well as a customer service ethic, and awareness of the organisation is growing every day.

There is still a great deal of curiosity about how Crash Management does what it does, but there is no denying that the team has picked up on Karen’s initial business idea and today – with the team’s experience and enthusiasm for what they and the company do – Crash Management is justifiably recognised as a significant work provider to the wider collision repair industry. In fact, Crash Management has been officially recognised by the General Insurance Industry for innovation and shows no signs of slowing down in this regard either.

It is then, a credit to the team that the business is as successful as it is, particularly in an industry widely held as being male-oriented.

To this, Karen says there has been some serious evolution on the gender equality issue, particularly in the automotive trade or managing workshops. “In the 70s the panel and paint sector was entirely male dominated,” she says.

“By the mid-80s that had improved, I was in a position of employing female panelbeating and car painting apprentices and there were a few female mechanics at that time. The Collision Repair Association has done some positive work to redress the issue of female under-representation and a small but growing number of women have done extremely well at their trades, particularly in the Apprenticeship Awards and Worldskills competitions. It has transformed from a semihostile environment to a genuinely welcoming career opportunity.

“There are a number of women that own and/or manage collision repair facilities, many of whom are valued contractors to Crash Management’s service provider network.

“The fleet leasing and fleet services sectors have mirrored the progress made by the auto trades more or less. I’m aware of a handful of women in senior positions, though all CEOS are still men.

“The motor vehicle insurance industry appears to be making better progress in gender equality with quite a few women now in senior management. The insurance broker sector has perhaps changed even more in recent years, historically it was very male-dominated, but a large cohort of young women is now rising in the ranks, and there are some female owned and/or lead brokerage firms.”

Karen’s team have likewise seen changes across various industries, though some industries are faster to adapt to gender equality than others. Things are, by all accounts, improving.

And on that note, we asked for some advice from the extremely professional team at Crash Management, for young women looking to enter the automotive industry.

When you call on the team for their services, see if you can match the advice to the advisor: not a smart-arse. If you can identify a role model that you admire, learn everything you can from them. If you have the extreme good fortune to have a mentor you admire, return their investment by working twice as hard to

become the best you can possibly be.

stand up for yourself. Its not hard to prove yourself worthy if you are determined and passionate.

go for it.

remember to listen. Never forget special abilities you bring to the role. A sense of humour is a great asset.

with confidence and do it well.

don’t be afraid to ask questions or express your opinions.

All of which are excellent pieces of advice and the team at Crash Management is living proof that the advice works, and if the advice works, why wouldn’t you take it?

To the potential customers – fleet, corporate and private individuals alike – who have yet to experience what Crash Management can do, Karen suggests that DIY accident management is best consigned to the past. “It’s a waste of time and resources for any fleet operator, so outsource to the experts to maximise efficiencies and save money,” she says.

“You’ll spend far too much time chasing around, getting quotes, getting knock backs, having delays in assessments, ensuring the repair is to the manufacturer’s requirements with the correct parts, having to hire replacement vehicles and so on. We give you back that lost time, which means you can focus on your business.”

Where’s the downside in that? We can’t see it.