Success Stories
What do you love about working in automotive?
“The people. I find the industry and its people totally fascinating. There is a family and camaraderie feel to the industry as well. It’s why we refer to and include ourselves as being part of our ‘automotive family’. It’s never been an easy industry to work in, there is a high degree of pressure, but it’s exciting, with new products and innovation. Change is constant and technology keeps evolving, something we all need to work hard to promote to younger generations to attract them into what is a really key and brilliant industry to work in. I feel very fortunate to work for the charity that supports automotive people. It is a privilege working for a charity full stop, knowing that everything you do, the decisions you make, you’re making a difference to people’s lives. Whether it be someone in crisis, or struggling with day-to-day worries, changing and saving lives gives us all at Ben a real sense of purpose and it massively grounds me personally.“
Rachel Clift CEO | Ben - The Automotive Industry Charity
Why did you start a career in automotive? What did you dream of being when you were a child?
“I’m not sure I really dreamt of anything particularly. By the time I finished my A-Levels I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I studied A-Level biology, physical education and psychology. I knew I wanted to do something more vocational at the time, so physiotherapy seemed like an obvious choice. I went on to complete my degree in physiotherapy at the University of Birmingham. It’s a wonderful profession and I loved it. My career took some very different and fluid turns, but my health professional background has honestly stood me in a great position with so many transferable strengths including compassion, forging relationships as well leadership and management.”
What words of wisdom would you give to women looking to work in automotive?
“Automotive is open to anyone. There are so many different parts of the industry, different roles and opportunities to consider, there is literally something for everyone. Women shouldn’t feel like it’s not an industry made for them, now more than ever the industry is needing to respond to a growing skills gap and wanting to encourage people from all backgrounds. Now is certainly a very good time for women to advance their careers in the industry or take a leap of faith and join the family.”
What successes have you had?
“Securing the health & wellbeing director role in the first instance. This gave me the opportunity to transform Ben’s health and wellbeing services and support as well as significantly increase our charitable impact. We’ve supported over 400% more individuals since 2018, something which I do feel very proud to be a part of. Being appointed to the CEO of Ben last year is clearly a huge highlight for me too, even more so during a period of what will be the next chapter in Ben’s evolution. We’ve got some challenging strategic aims and objectives between now and 2030; we’re transforming as an organisation internally but also have work to do to increase our visibility across the whole industry. This will need significant engagement with senior leaders and stakeholders, but I do feel in a very privileged position to lead Ben through this period of change. For over a century, Ben has been a lifeline to thousands of people across the industry, offering support for life and soon we’ll be launching our new vision roadmap to meet the growing health and wellbeing needs of automotive people and their families. “
Why did you start working in the automotive industry?
Teresa Grove VMU Service Manager | Rygor Service Solutions
“This was one of those fluid turns. Apart from providing some onsite MSK Physiotherapy at a manufacturing site in Coventry many years ago, I had never worked or considered working in the automotive industry. I moved into the work, health and wellbeing space some years before, delivering various programmes of support for those who were long term unemployed and those struggling within work. I was lucky to work for some large commercial employability providers for longer than average lengths of time which led to me being able to further enhance and put in practice my leadership and management skills. I was ready for an executive director role and the health & wellbeing director role at Ben came about in 2018. It was and still is to a degree, due to the vastness of the industry, a learning curve – I learn something new about the industry most days still, there are so many pockets of skills and it’s a great industry to be serving as its dedicated charity.”
Why did you start a career in automotive?
What successes have you had?
“My Dad owned a garage when I was a child and my favourite thing to do was visit him at work and watch him repair cars whilst I danced in the rainbow puddles. Fast forward to my late twenties and I still had no idea what I wanted to do when ‘I grew up’ , but then I saw a job advertised in a local garage and my mind swept back to the rainbow puddles I danced in as a child – so I applied!”
“I have had such a varied career full of successes. I have held positions that were created around my skillset, I’ve overachieved on budgets, and I have achieved my long service award at Rygor Group.”
What support have you had in this traditionally male-dominated industry?
“I took every opportunity I could find to help further my career, gain experience and knowledge. Even when at times it felt as if I were taking a side-step (rather than moving forward) I always did so with the thought that the more I learned and knew, the closer I would get to achieving my ambition.”
Copyright Rygor Group 2025
Copyright Rygor Group 2025
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