Take a running leap into automotive, says Alphabet’s Rachael Day

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

I studied sports therapy at the University of Gloucestershire as I was seriously into sport and planned to work in that field. However, a temporary role came up at Alphabet and I’ve never looked back; I’m still here 11 years later.

I started out in Alphabet’s commercial team as a temporary sales executive. After nine months, I was made permanent and worked on the family and friends’ scheme. A couple of years later, I moved into corporate sales to support account managers with clients. In 2018, I moved to the indirect sales channel, which includes the broker team, as team leader – known as a performance specialist.

Just as the COVID lockdown hit in 2020, I took up my current Regional Development Manager role looking after the South East. Being initially bound to a desk in a regional role made for quite a challenging start!

 What does a typical day look like for a Regional Development Manager?

You never quite know what the day will bring, but usually I have internal meetings in the morning then I could be out travelling to see brokers. In those meetings, I’ll be catching up with the directors of the business on everything from strategy to more tactical work. In larger brokers, I also work with the wider teams, including sales. I have a very diverse portfolio of brokers and I tailor the solution to the individual broker. It’s never one size fits all and that makes me work even harder.

In a typical week I might be out at meetings a couple of days and then working hybrid for the rest of the week; that could be in the office seeing the team or working from home.

How do you find working with brokers?

I really enjoy it. It’s fast paced and that motivates me. A lot of my early career colleagues went on to corporate account manager positions in the direct channel, but the indirect channel appealed to me: it’s collaborative, fun and we’re all working to the same end goal. The variety in broking is why I’m still in the regional role after almost six years; the time has flown by.

What’s it like working at Alphabet?

It’s an all-round great place to be. There are about 15 of us in the indirect team and we’re very close. We’re a people business, so the people you work with are really important. I’ve had great managers over years who’ve been incredibly supportive and motivating, they’ve helped me succeed and take on different roles.

Alphabet also offered excellent flexibility after my maternity leave. I was able to condense five days into four which enabled me to have Fridays off for childcare. I also manage my own diary; and while I might be travelling for meetings a couple of days a week, I can make that work around my family. It’s very helpful as I’m pregnant again.

What advice do you have for women looking to enter the automotive industry?

Definitely take the leap! I think automotive is a great place for women to be. Women are more represented now, so it should not feel scary to anyone. Automotive might still feel like a predominantly male-led industry but that’s changing, there are increasingly more females in director and leadership positions.