Page 98 - Australasian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2022

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2022 WINNER
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
MANAGER OF
THE YEAR WINNER
JEREMY WILKS MANAGER AT DEALERSHIP OWNED NORTH SHORE BMW BODYSHOP, ARTARMON, SYDNEY TAKES OUT OUR INAUGURAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD.
J EREMY IS RESPONSIBLE for managing a team of 18 staff within a 3,500m2 shop across the areas of paint, panel, mechanical and administration and has over 27 years of industry experience under his belt. Jeremy's primary responsibility is to direct all work activities undertaken at the bodyshop to ensure deadlines and productivity levels are met and the opti- mum level of customer service is achieved. Jeremy achieves this by estab- lishing and maintaining good working relationships with customers and moni- toring the bodyshop performance through iBodyshop reporting, tracking and survey analysis. Jeremy also con- sults, negotiates and networks with in- surers, industry experts and other in-
dustry counterparts.
Jeremy was instrumental in assisting
general manager Glen O’Donnell in the design and set up of the new shop at Ar- tarmon, contributing several months of his own time. Once the shop was set up, he then implemented systems and pro- cedures with a view to creating a great customer experience with quality out- comes which he, once again, excelled at.
He worked tirelessly and in his own time to engage in an extensive recruit- ment campaign to source suitably trained and qualified staff with the ex- pertise to work in a BMW Bodyshop. The business was awarded Paint & Panel Bodyshop Awards of Best Dealer Owned Bodyshop Award and Best Safety Award in its first year of operation which can be attributed to Jeremy's tireless work.
His pragmatic approach of focusing on practical solutions for any problem or challenge that he faces, assists the body- shop in achieving speedy and best prac-
tice outcomes for staff and customers. This is why North Shore BMW Bodyshop has achieved so much success in the short time it has been operational.
Prior to opening North Shore BMW Bodyshop, he helped set the founda- tion for the way in which the shop would operate now and into the future by setting up operational systems in consultation with relevant key stake- holders to ensure this business met the opening schedule.
Jeremy invests time in staff by prior- itising their own personal and profes- sional development. Glenn says: “He is practical yet strategic in the way he thinks and operates which are qualities that make him a successful and well re-
spected leader. He has exceptional or- ganisational skills which are critical to enabling the work to flow smoothly across all areas which is paramount in a shop of this size. It is my opinion that Jeremy exhibits all of the attributes re- quired to run a modern prestige body- shop operation.
“The most important skill a successful bodyshop manager must be able to dem- onstrate is the ability to effectively nego- tiate and liaise with customers, insurers, suppliers and manufacturers. The abili- ty to pull all of this together and achieve a positive outcome and experience is a rare attribute. Jeremy's personality and trade knowledge assists him to exceed across all benchmarks.”