For International Women’s Day 2024, we interviewed each of our women at CCM. To learn more about them, their past and how they find working in this automotive arena.
Meet Amanda, our phenomenal Service Advisor at CCM Gatwick! A finalist at the Top Service Advisor Awards, Amanda is a proud mother of 3, a new grandma, and a talented wildlife photographer.
Watch the video of all our lovely ladies below, or read Amanda’s transcript below.
Amanda, tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Amanda. I’m a mother to three I’ve got two lovely grandchildren and I’m currently a service advisor at CCM.
And what did you dream of doing when you were a little girl?
Wow, it’s a long time ago! But I can always remember after watching adverts on the telly I wanted to be an air hostess. I just thought the uniforms were lovely and the girls always look really beautiful with lovely lipstick on.
Do you find it difficult to get involved or integrate yourself in such a male-dominated field?
Not at all, no. I’ve never had a problem. The last two jobs I had were also male-dominated fields. The first one being working with the refueling over at the airport so I think I fitted in nicely when I came to the motor industry because it was a very similar environment with a lot of men. Fast-paced, busy and lots of machinery!
Yeah, no, it’s cool.
Do you feel supported in your career goals here?
Definitely. I think CCM is a very supportive company. They send us on a lot of training, they’re always there if you need something to talk to they’re always there for advice, and, there’s always somebody who can help you when you need help.
Have you heard of International Women's Day before?
Yes, only a couple of years ago, when I worked at the airport a few years ago they were very big on International Women’s Day. They were very big in championing women and made a big thing about International Women’s Day. Took lots of photographs and always put stuff on social media. So yeah, It’s not a new thing to me I’m aware of it.
Do you have any women in your life who inspire you?
Okay, so apart from my mum who has always shown me a lot of practical things to do, unfortunately, I haven’t got any grandparents anymore and my aunties live a long way away. So I think I’ve taken my inspiration from being a mother. I’ve always tried to teach my girls, I’ve got two girls, and I always like to teach them that they can be anything they want to be. Just because they’re female doesn’t mean to say they can’t do something and never take no for an answer. I’ve also been lucky enough in my previous two jobs, including this job now to have female bosses. Being in a male-dominated industry it’s nice to have a female boss. So you know, that even in an industry where it is mainly men you can still get to the top if you’re female.
Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman?
I don’t think I have no. I’m pretty good at not letting things stop me from what I want to do and I’ve been lucky in the employment I have had everybody’s been very supportive and there doesn’t seem to be an issue with you being a woman. So I think if anything, sometimes I think being a female, being very persuasive is a good thing.
This year's International Women's Day theme is #InspireInclusion. What does this mean to you?
Inclusion to me is there being no barriers. Regardless of sex, age, colour, or religion, we’re all at the end of the day. we’re all human so we should all be treated exactly the same.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start a career in automotive?
Go for it! It’s fun, it’s a busy It’s very busy and can be quite challenging at times. But it’s also very rewarding and I would, yeah, definitely encourage especially females. Come and join me.
Come, come to CCM! Get a job in the automotive industry. No, it’s good. Yes, I would definitely say there’s no barriers here regardless of what sex you are.