Cars, customers and the cat pose: Karen Christer on two decades in broking

What route did you take to get to your current role?

I did a Business Studies degree at Leeds Metropolitan University. In fact, my dissertation was on vehicle brands as I’ve always loved cars. I specialised in Marketing but quickly discovered I preferred sales and the money was better!

I started my career on the Enterprise Rent-a-Car graduate scheme. It was an American style programme which gave me a great grounding in how to work with customers. I was fast tracked to Assistant Manager and then Manager, but the hours were long – I was working 80 to 90 hour weeks at 24 years old.

I’d planned to work overseas but there weren’t many opportunities to do that at Enterprise, which got me thinking about what else was out there. Then, Lee Wolstenholme, Managing Director of Vehicle Consulting, headhunted me and I joined Vehicle Consulting in 2004.

How has your role evolved at Vehicle Consulting?

I started out as Office Manager and progressed to Senior Account Manager. I was tasked with finding my own contract hire customers which, back in the day, meant using the Yellow Pages. It  was tough but I enjoyed it. I’m very target driven and like to work with people that I like, so prefer finding my own business. Five years ago, I became Account Director.

I’ve continued learning over the last two decades, which is important to me. I now help develop apprentices in our business and I also got involved with BNI, the networking organisation, which was good for my personal development and generated new business.

What does a typical day look like for you?

No day is the same in the broker world. It moves at such a quick pace which I love – it’s never monotonous.

I enjoy working with my customers, some of whom are very long standing and like friends because I’ve known them so long. You see customers get married, divorced, have babies and set up their own businesses!

I’m mostly in the office and usually juggling a lot of plates – dealing with emails, Teams meetings and face to face customer meetings. I assist sales support and operations with orders and also help develop new team members.

What’s it like working at Vehicle Consulting?

The team is great and our customer centric values align with my personal ethics which is so important to me. A lot of our team has been here a long time – even longer than me! In terms of gender split, it’s fairly even – in administration, sales support and operations we have more women, but sales is more male dominated.

We have a brilliant office space and a supportive environment –  if you’re performing, you’re trusted to ‘get on with it’. The business has also helped me with my life goals, enabling me to buy my own house and supporting me with training.

Do you feel that automotive / broking world is attractive to women?

Yes, especially if you have an interest in vehicles and enjoy talking to people – relationship skills are key. Automotive is always changing, so if you like a dynamic environment, this is a fantastic sector to be in. Once you’re in, it’s challenging to leave as the people are so great! The broker community is supportive and open, as there’s more than enough business for everyone.

What advice would you give women looking to get into automotive?

The fact it can still be male dominated can put women off, but it’s a supportive industry with a straightforward culture – you know where you are!

I’ve definitely seen a shift in culture over the last five to 10 years, as more women have joined the industry which has positively changed the mindset, but I do think it still helps to be a strong woman. Even now, some men are surprised when, as a female, you know what you’re talking about – but you quickly get respect when you demonstrate knowledge and passion.

Where does your passion for cars come from?

I was always keen to learn to drive as it represented independence and meant I didn’t need to rely on public transport. When I was young, we didn’t own a car, so we were always carrying loads of stuff on the bus! My Uncle had a Lotus kit car and would come and take us out to cool places – it was very fast and I think that sparked my passion for cars.

I had a double driving lesson on my 17th birthday and passed the driving test first time – I couldn’t wait to get my own car.

What’s your car history?

My first car was a bright red Ford Fiesta Popular Plus with a manual choke. I like fast, sporty cars and over the years I’ve had some great cars, including a couple of Volkswagen Golf GTis, a Honda CR-Z, Audi TT, Mercedes SLK, Range Rover Evoque and then I went electric with a Mercedes-Benz EQC. I’m currently in a BMW iX2.