Women in Broking: Lydia Pemberton

LYDIA’S first stint at Rivervale Leasing, aged 16, could not be described as a success. After a month’s work experience, Lydia declared that ‘working in an office job was not really for her’ and she was ‘more of a people person’. Luckily for Rivervale, post-college sales positions at retailers such as Specsavers and Debenhams changed her mind. Lydia really enjoyed the personal interaction of retail, but it became clear that career opportunities were limited.

So, when a vacancy came up at Rivervale a couple of years later, Lydia made the decision to try again. She was encouraged by her father, Rivervale’s CEO Vince Pemberton, who suggested she ‘give it a chance for six months’.

Seven years on, Lydia is fully embedded in the business along with her sister, Elisha, who is Business Operations Manager. But despite strong motoring roots – her grandfather and great grandfather also worked in the trade – Lydia comments that there was a lot to learn initially.

‘Joining automotive was challenging to start with. I was just 19 and there was a lot to take in. Up until that point vehicles were just a way of getting from A to B, but I was well supported to learn and progress. And now, I have learnt to love vans. When I’m driving now, I find myself spotting a tail lift and think – what have I turned into?’

Lydia’s first role at Rivervale was in leasing administration. From there, she moved into sales support for four years. Then, the opportunity came up to work on van brand Maxus. Lydia initially managed the sales support and then took over the broker channel as Account Manager for Maxus Sales in 2022. She explains that her career route has given her a great grounding in the sector:

 ‘I really recommend starting from the beginning, it’s not the bottom. Every position is important and is reliant on another role – sales can’t do their job without administration. You also fully understand the pressure of other roles when you’ve been through it yourself. It’s so important to put the effort in to learn throughout your career. Knowledge is key. The more you know, the more confident you become to offer your view – and that’s critical to growing as a person.’

Two years into her role as Maxus Account Manager, Lydia handles all aspects of sales – including stocklist and system management plus broker communication. She is clearly passionate about the role with extensive van knowledge. Lydia is also very conscious of just how competitive the market is. Her aim, she says, is ‘to always be super responsive and on hand for brokers. And ultimately secure the best price for the customer’.

As for Lydia’s working pattern, she is typically based in the Rivervale Brighton office, although she also has the flexibility to work from home. Lydia prefers to be in the office and comments that working with other people energises her, saying she has really benefited from the support of the team:

‘Encouragement is central to the Rivervale culture, it’s essential to build confidence and it’s important to people.  Positive feedback on both ideas and achievements makes a huge difference.’

And, just how is it working with family day to day? Lydia explains that she genuinely loves it and feels lucky to have her family around her. She comments that there are always ups and downs but ‘it’s a big office’ so everyone has their own space. Lydia does admit that it was harder to have work / life separation initially when the family was still all living together at home.

Clearly, support from Rivervale has been key for Lydia, but how has she found the automotive industry more generally?

‘I have also always been respected by brokers and the wider van industry. It’s good to see more women in the industry now and I do think automotive is an attractive place to work – it’s a real community. When you look at the sector there are more females today and they are in higher roles. That helps as it looks more achievable as a career when you see women in senior positions.’

So, what does the future hold for Lydia? With aspirations for a family in the future, she sees automotive as a great industry to stay in because of the variety of job opportunities and flexibility. It certainly looks like the passion for the motoring trade continues to run strong in those Pemberton genes.