IN SPITE of numbers that appear to be to the contrary, there are plenty of career opportunities available for women in car dealerships, according leading WA female dealer business owner, Toni Hunter.

Mrs Hunter, WA’s only female dealer principal and dealership owner, speaking to GoAutoNews Premium after presenting at a recent Motor Trade Association of WA “Women in Automotive” conference, said that the auto industry was “a fabulous industry with a lot of positives”.

She said it included a working environment that can be very well remunerated and it opened up opportunities to work around the world.

“If you have training in an Australian dealership you can work anywhere,” she told GoAutoNews Premium.

On paper men dominate in the Australian automotive industry especially in the dealership landscape; in sales (79 per cent), technicians and trade (97 per cent) and CEO positions (92 per cent).

Only in administration (72 per cent) and after sales (about 70 per cent) do women outnumber men.

Mrs Hunter, who has been a dealer principal and dealership owner for 15 years, from Karratha to Perth, and now operates Albany World of Cars that has 10 new-car franchises, said there were many avenues open to women in dealerships, starting with sales but also including jobs like a service advisor.

“I have worked as a service advisor and I loved it because it’s a customer service role that really suits a woman’s temperament.

“You may think it needs a lot of technical expertise but in reality it doesn’t. There is training available and you are surrounded by a supportive group of employees.

“Oddly, it’s the hardest role to fill in any dealership despite being well paid.”
But Mrs Hunter said there are some issues that are preventing a lot of quality people from entering the business.

“The main one is the working hours,” she said.

“The hours can be from 8am to 6pm and late nights on Wednesday and Saturday morning. So that’s about 60 hours a week that people are away from their families.

“I have reduced hours so we start at 8.30am and finish at 5.30pm. We don’t open late on Wednesday and we open for four hours on Saturday morning.

“We can get away with it because it is a regional dealership and to be honest we haven’t missed sales because we reduced our hours.”

Mrs Hunter said the extended working hours issue was affecting the uptake of people joining the industry.

“We have to look at this and see if there’s a better way.

“People have choices now and one of those seems to increasingly be to have a better lifestyle,” she said.

“I have seen figures that show that in Australia, the average dealer can have up to a 40 per cent turnover in staff in 12 months. In the metropolitan area, that turnover can be up to 80 per cent in a year.

“That’s expensive and very damaging for the dealerships.”

But Mrs Hunter said women should never be deterred from entering the industry, especially as she has seen excellent achievements from the women she has employed and those she has seen progress through their careers.

“I can see that, in many dealerships, women are not on the radar as employees,” she said.

“But the ones I have employed now and in the past have all been passionate about the industry and very switched on.

“I now have two women sales staff and one service advisor from a total of seven staff. I have four male apprentices in the workshop from a list of 130 applicants and eight of those applicants were female.

“I would have taken some on but they were from the city and I struggle with 17-18 year old women leaving their families and coming down to Albany to live and work by themselves.”

Mrs Hunter said that five years ago, if females were applicants for jobs as apprentice technicians, “I’d be surprised”.

“Now there’s eight applicants for my dealership. It’s still a pretty low figure but it shows that a career in automotive industry is still being considered by women.

“The problem is that they are not exposed to our industry when at school, but directed into other areas. That is a shame.

“I had three women apprentices in previous locations and all successfully went into their own businesses after they finished their trade.

“My advice is that if you want to get into the industry, persevere. Don’t be put off by any male antaganism – I didn’t – but just set your goal and go for it.”

The MTA WA said that its inaugural Women in Automotive meeting was oversubscribed and the association was now planning another later this year.

MTA WA CEO Stephen Moir said it was also spawning the idea of a women’s network for the automotive industry.

“Women show they are excellent communicators and will readily share information. So the idea of establishing a network can have very positive results for sharing ideas and fostering growth among women,” he said.

“It would create a very supportive environment that will benefit the whole industry and ultimately benefit consumers.”.

Speakers at the first event last month were Toni Hunter (dealer principal, Albany World of Cars); Jessica da Silva (director, Outback Accessories); Bianca Timbers (owner and mechanic, True Revolution Automotive); and Robyn Cook (director, Peel Tyre Service & Tyreright Mandurah).

By Neil Dowling