In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Paul Kirby.

Paul is well known in the UK van world as "the Electric Van man" and as a member of The EV Café team.

In our conversation we talk about his rocky start in life, and his career journey from his first job with a library suppliers as a warehouse person and van driver to his current position.

I'm grateful to Paul for sharing his experiences as openly as he does. His approach to our conversation makes the story of his life and career journey all the more inspiring.

As always, I look forward to hearing what resonates with you.

Connect with Paul:

LinkedIn Profile

YouTube: @Electric Van Man

Websites:

The EV Café

EV Essentials

About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Learn more about Fulfilling Performance

Check out Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
Email: hello@askeconsulting.co.uk

Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Episode Directory on Instagram @careerviewmirror

If you enjoy listening to our guests career stories, please follow CAREER-VIEW MIRROR in your podcast app.

Episode recorded on 20 September, 2024.

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Alexandra Smedley.

Alexandra’s most recent role was Customer Care and Aftersales Director, Europe for General Motors based in Zurich, Switzerland.

After an accomplished tenure with General Motors that took her to five distinct locations within and outside of the US, she’s says it’s time to pause and reflect.

The desire to be rooted in community has led her to the decision to stay in Switzerland as she looks to enter the next chapter of her professional career.

With ten years experience managing the complexities of the automotive industry and her innate ability to adapt to new environments and challenges, she is looking toward new horizons and hoping to gain new opportunities, maybe even beyond automotive.

In our conversation Alex shares that she was a good student who initially aspired to a medical career.

She found a way to use her problem solving skills in a medical device startup until a family friend suggested General Motors were hiring.

A school trip to Europe had shown her she liked to travel and so GM’s requirement for candidates to be prepared to go wherever they said was an attraction rather than a drawback.

Alex learned how to influence people at dealerships and back at Head Quarters until one of her managers took her with him into the Aftersales business.

She took ownership of the opportunity to manage the Autozone account and achieved success growing the value of that relationship.

She brought senior leaders of both businesses together to recognise the value of the partnership. That initiative got her recognised and won her a new mentor.

When the time was right, she pushed for an international opportunity and landed an amazing experience in Shanghai in a joint venture with mostly Chinese colleagues.

After a brief spell back in Michigan, Alex was excited to join GM’s re entry to Europe which was like being in a start up within a big corporation. Once again she got to deploy and develop her skills to set up an aftersales function from scratch.

I loved getting to know Alex and hearing her story. I hope that the insights she shares can help you or someone you lead and care about. Maybe this interview can unlock some new relationships and opportunities for Alex in Switzerland!

As always, I look forward to hearing what resonates with you.

Connect with Alexandra:

LinkedIn Profile

About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Learn more about Fulfilling Performance

Check out Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
Email: hello@askeconsulting.co.uk

Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Episode Directory on Instagram

In this episode I'm joined by Colin Tomlinson.

Colin owns a learning and development company specialising in teaching Project Leadership and Management in the Civil Engineering and Construction industry. He uses techniques adapted from his 24 years career as an Officer in the Royal Engineers and his 12 years of experience within the industry to help navigate through the complexities of working on projects. He has recently completed two legs of The Clipper Race sailing almost 15,000 miles from Australia to Seattle via Vietnam and China.

When he and I talked about his recent sailing adventure I found myself fascinated by why he’d decided to do it, how he went about it, what was the impact on his business and family, what was the experience really like and what did he take from it that has remained with him now he’s back at home and back in his business.

Colin kindly agreed to join me to create this episode and answer all my questions. In doing so he shares how instead of pausing his business to go sailing, the trip has been a catalyst to help him scale it. Perhaps less surprising were the numerous leadership lessons that emerge from the concentrated team environment of an ocean racing yacht.

I’m excited to invite you to join Colin and me as he takes us behind the scenes of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the only event of its type in the world where anyone, even if they’ve never stepped on a boat before, can join the adventure.

Contact Colin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colintomlinson/
Clipper Round the World

About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Learn more about Fulfilling Performance

Check out Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
Email: hello@askeconsulting.co.uk

Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Episode Directory on Instagram @careerviewmirror

If you enjoy listening to our guests career stories, please follow CAREER-VIEW MIRROR in your podcast app.

Episode recorded on 11 September, 2024.

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Kwan Segal.

Kwan is an experienced human-capital consultant and a career coach for International Students and immigrants in the US. With over 15 years of experience at global companies such as Deloitte, Accenture, and BMW, she has aided Fortune 500 firms in creating their talent strategies worldwide. Kwan is now the founder of ICAway /i-see-a-way/, where her goal is to empower international students for global employability and provide trusted advising services for international educators and career centers. Kwan was raised in Bangkok, Thailand, and currently resides in Chicago.

In our conversation we talk about her childhood in Thailand where in her early teens she appeared in music videos and released a pop album. Kwan shares how she was highly motivated to create a career for herself. She found a mentor who supported her appetite to stretch herself. She kept pushing herself out of her comfort zone taking on challenges that would allow her to grow.

Eventually she found herself in the United States where the nuance of cultural difference made communication much harder that we might first imagine. Again she networked and sought out teachers who could help her achieve her goals.

I loved reconnecting with Kwan and learning more about her fascinating life and career story. I look forward to hearing what resonates with you.

Connect with Kwan:

ICAway Website
My LinkedIn Profile
ICAway LinkedIn Page
ICAway Instagram
ICAway Facebook
ICAway Youtube Channel
X (Twitter) handle
TikTok

Other links referenced in our conversation:

Music video (~1993)
Pop album (~1995)
More about Kwang & Kwan


About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Learn more about Fulfilling Performance

Check out Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
Email: hello@askeconsulting.co.uk

Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Episode Directory on Instagram @careerviewmirror

If you enjoy listening to our guests career stories, please follow CAREER-VIEW MIRROR in your podcast app.

Episode recorded on 29 August, 2024.

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Lavanya Wadgaonkar PhD.

Lavanya is Chief Communications Officer & Corporate Vice President, Nissan Motor Corporation.

As Chief Communications Officer, Lavanya is responsible for strategic communications & campaigns, knowledge dissemination and outreach to the key audiences that Nissan seeks to influence with an aim to build reputation, earn trust and ensure consistent authentic experiences. She is also the global champion for DEI responsible for actively promoting a diverse, supportive, and inclusive workplace.

Lavanya joined Nissan in 2012 and since then held various leadership roles in India, Asia, Oceania and Japan. Earlier, she held a number of leadership roles in multinational organizations like Eaton, Reliance Industries and Lexmark.

Lavanya holds a PhD and MPhil from Osmania University, India, with specific focus on the language of cinema in India and its effectiveness in representing socio-economic issues.

In our conversation we talk about her childhood growing up in a highly creative environment that featured regular storytelling around the dinner table.

Lavanya explains that she was a quiet introverted girl who liked to learn. Her appetite for learning has seen her return to formal education whenever she wanted to close gaps in her knowledge.

She shares her experience of going from a very diverse upbringing in India to a homogenous society in Japan via South East Asia and recognising that each country has its own culture and way of doing things.

I loved getting to know Lavanya better through this conversation and look forward to hearing what resonates with you.

Connect with Lavanya

LinkedIn: Lavanya Wadgaonkar PhD
Instagram:write_ur_way

About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Learn more about Fulfilling Performance

Check out Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
Email: hello@askeconsulting.co.uk

Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Episode Directory on Instagram @careerviewmirror

If you enjoy listening to our guests career stories, please follow CAREER-VIEW MIRROR in your podcast app.

Episode recorded on 20 August, 2024.

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Chris Kirby.

Chris has been speaking about how technology will change the automotive landscape since he published a white paper on the subject in 2017. Since then, he co-founded Tomorrow's Journey, an Enterprise SaaS platform that enables automotive brands to launch and scale fully digital solutions, working globally with the likes of Hyundai, Jaguar and Leaseplan.

Chris Kirby has a diverse career spanning multiple roles in the automotive industry including as a Strategic Advisor at Autofutura Limited, as the Automotive Director at WeCreateClarity and as the Head of Business Development at FGA Capital UK Ltd.

As well as speaking at events across the globe, Chris also hosts the Autocar Change Makers Podcast, where he regularly meets and engages with automotive industry leaders on the future of the industry.

In our conversation we talk about how he left school at 16 and how he had an early opportunity to demonstrate his leadership skills on the rugby field.

Chris shares how he somewhat fell into a career in the automotive industry. He found himself with a good manager in his first role in a Ford dealership, he worked hard and made good progress.

His father had been an entrepreneur and so he'd seen the reality of how hard that can be. Nevertheless he felt the need to step out of his corporate environment to be able to work on the significant change initiatives that he believed the industry needed.

Even though he went in with his eyes wide open to the likely challenges, external factors like Covid and difficult conditions for fund raising proved strong headwinds.

Chris explains his approach to navigating the ups and downs of start up life and is clear about what constitutes the right reason to become an entrepreneur.

I enjoyed and appreciated getting to know Chris better through this conversation and look forward to hearing what resonates with you.

Connect with Chris

LinkedIn: Chris Kirby
Website: Tomorrow's Journey

About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Learn more about Fulfilling Performance

Check out Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
Email: hello@askeconsulting.co.uk

Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Episode Directory on Instagram @careerviewmirror

If you enjoy listening to our guests career stories, please follow CAREER-VIEW MIRROR in your podcast app.

Episode recorded on 13 August, 2024.

In this Side Mirror, I talk about a powerful way to enhance our own capability that is open to every single one of us regardless of our circumstances.

This episode is about learning from experience and the role that reflection plays in that.

If you don't already do this, I want to encourage you to reflect on the experience you have built up during your life so far, value it and get into the habit of reflecting on the multiple experiences that you have each day so that you can extract the learning from those experiences and apply that learning for your ongoing benefit.

The more we are open to new experiences the more varied opportunities we will have from which to learn, the more value we will have to offer and the more secure and fulfilling our future can be.

I refer to the following additional resources:

Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.
Our weekly newsletter where I write about how to enable Fulfilling Performance for yourself and those you lead and care about.

About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
Email: hello@askeconsulting.co.uk

Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Episode Directory on Instagram @careerviewmirror

If you enjoy listening to our guests career stories, please follow CAREER-VIEW MIRROR in your podcast app.

Episode recorded on 15 August, 2024.

In this episode I use my first job to illustrate the contributing factors that came together to enable Fulfilling Performance for me.

If you consider your current situation through the lens of Fulfilling Performance, how does it look?

Does it provide the healthy levels of Clarity, Culture, Capability and Purpose required for you to experience Fulfilling Performance?

Which of those areas, if they were improved, would have the greatest impact on enabling you to perform at an even higher level and experience more fulfilment from doing so?

What can you do to improve that fundamental contributing factor?

What about the people you lead and care about?

Consider each of them and their current situations through this lens.

What is the biggest handbrake preventing them from bringing more of their talent, intelligence, creativity, capability and resourcefulness to their roles and lives?

How can you release the handbrake for them and enable Fulfilling Performance?

I refer to the following additional resources:

Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.

Our weekly newsletter where I write about how to enable Fulfilling Performance for yourself and those you lead and care about.

About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
Email: hello@askeconsulting.co.uk

Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Episode Directory on Instagram @careerviewmirror

If you enjoy listening to our guests career stories, please follow CAREER-VIEW MIRROR in your podcast app.

Episode recorded on 2 August, 2024.