Name: Laura Muir
Job title: Head of appointed representatives and partner
How long in role: 19 years at Fleet Alliance, 7 years in current role
What’s your role? Leading the AR and partner team, including managing the in-house account manager and SME sales executive teams
At 17, Laura Muir decided that she wanted to earn money and ‘get on with life’ so she left school. The first few years of her career were spent working as a medical secretary, and then office manager in Scottish private healthcare. Laura also went to college to study for an HND in business management.
In 2004 she felt she was ready for a change and went for two interviews – one at a marketing company and one at a small family business. That family business was Glasgow-based Fleet Alliance and Laura jumped at the chance to join a growing company which is where she has been ever since.
Starting out in sales support, Laura progressed through account manager and partner development roles, and is now head of appointed representatives and partner. Describing her journey into broking, Laura says that she unexpectedly found her niche:
‘I never thought I would end up in automotive or financial services, but as soon as I started in broking I realised I got a real buzz from it. Maybe there was a wee part of me that knew I should be in automotive because, as a child, I used to sit in my dad’s car and shout out the names of all the cars passing by!’
Laura’s role today involves leading the Appointed Representative (AR) and partner business strategy, which involves recruiting, training and managing ARs, increasing sales conversion and managing the in-house processes. Laura’s passion for the business is evident, she says:
I’m clearly biased but Fleet Alliance is a great place to work and I’m really passionate about the team. Being part of a growing business has been brilliant as the opportunities grew alongside my own development.
As for female representation, Laura notes that Fleet Alliance has a gender-neutral approach but says there are significantly more women in the business than when she started.
Today, around two thirds of the senior managers are women, and the business has female representation of 20% at board level. Laura is pleased by this progress and very proud that the business was recently awarded Best Workplaces for Women 2023.
However, Laura reflects that, as an industry, there’s still an opportunity to go further and faster – one aspect where she’s especially concerned is that female representation remains disappointingly low amongst ARs, commenting:
‘I’m actively recruiting ARs and, unfortunately, we just don’t get that many female entrepreneurs. In fact, there are just two women ARs in our channel – but it’s also worth saying that the top salesperson is female. There should be better representation and I’m really keen to get more women involved.’
So, positively, the automotive trade is becoming less male dominated than it was when Laura started out. The other significant change Laura has seen is the industry’s awareness of its climate and environmental responsibilities.
She comments that brokers are now much more aware of their own environmental footprint and the impact they can have by helping people drive the right cars.
And finally, with almost two decades in broking under her belt, would Laura recommend it and what advice would she give to others?
Broking is definitely a complex environment to work in and it can be challenging, but that’s also what makes it so interesting. Not a year goes by without some kind of government changes and, of course, the pandemic was really tough. What I love is that it’s a relationship business and you build real friendships along the way too.
The best advice I can give is to have at least a three-year career plan and learn from those around you. Take the guidance and listen to your peers but always put your own spin on life.
About Fleet Alliance
Fleet Alliance is a leading UK fleet management provider offering contract hire, leasing and a complete range of fleet solutions products. Based in Glasgow, the business currently manages over 30,000 vehicles with a combined value of more than £1billion. Fleet Alliance delivers a complete fleet solution via its market leading Fleet 360 model – providing a combination of advice, products, competitive pricing and outstanding customer service.
Fleet Alliance was recently awarded Best SME broker at the Broker News Awards 2023.
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Laura is a writer and Head of Marketing for Broker News, with extensive automotive experience from senior marketing roles with RBS/Nat West, Lombard Vehicle Management and Unipart. She is also a self-confessed petrol-head.
