International Women's Day – The women of BA Bush!

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2022, we wanted to take the time to celebrate some of the wonderful women we have here at Bush Tyres!

The tyre industry is often seen as a male industry with the majority of tyre fitters being men. We want to show that it doesn’t have to be that way – the tyre industry is a great place for women to work too.

At BA Bush we have women in many major roles including tyres technicians, branch/warehouse managers, as well as at head office in HR, purchasing, finance and marketing! We asked a few of the women of Bush Tyres to talk about their time in the tyre industry and why they love it!

Dawn Tomlin – Manager, Boston Warehouse

I started at Bush Tyres in 2010, having had previous tyre experience working with another tyre company. I joined as a Telesales Operator at the Boston depot. The telesales team moved into a bigger office at Endeavour Park, and then in 2015 to our Barton Warehouse where, as Office manager, I trained staff in the new Sales Office at Barton.

Once we had enough staff and they were trained to an acceptable level I came back to Boston, again based at Norfolk Street.  The opportunity then arose for me to go out on the road and become a rep for the company covering all Louth to Peterborough/Grantham areas. I enjoyed seeing the customers face to face as I already had a good rapport with them and it was nice to put faces to the names.

In 2020 we opened another warehouse at Boston, to cover the Southern areas whilst Barton covers the Northern areas, this was to become my new base. Once we had set up this warehouse, I became Office Manager.  I have since progressed to Assistant Manager to the Operations Manager, being involved in the day to day running of things at the Boston warehouse.  

Also, whilst working daily in the above roles, I would cover the callouts which meant working through the nights and at weekends and taking breakdowns and giving the job to the nearest on call fitters.

So, as you can see, I have covered quite a few roles whilst I have been employed by Bush Tyres.  Many women would be a bit wary about working in what could be known as ‘a male environment’.  But it’s not like that, we all work together as a team.

Georgia Jeffries – Branch Administrator, Bush Tyres Norwich

I have been working for Bush for around 8 months now but have worked within the same team for over 4 years. My responsibilities are day to day processing of order numbers and invoicing along with jointly taking on inbound jobs and then prioritising and allocating to technicians.

During the first few months, I was tasked with organising the admin from which the office team could adhere to making our processes in the Centre more streamlined and cost effective, making us more profitable and efficient as an end result.

I like the joint responsibility of being accountable for the Centre’s profitability and have participated in developing various sales measuring tools within the Centre.

Even with this being a tyre industry, and this usually being a mostly male environment, it feels to me that we are a family unit functioning together.

The positivity that flows through our depot, everyone having their job role, learning something new each day from each other or in the business, makes every day feel like an accomplishment. Every female member of the Bush team I have spoken to has been polite and helped in every way they can, I feel like we are a team, even though our locations, abilities and job roles vary.

Another incentive for any person considering joining the Bush network would be the amazing long term future career prospects our growing company has to offer.

Marion Lambe (Left) – Branch Manager, Bush Tyres Bourne

I started with the company many years ago originally as a Service Advisor and in my time at BA Bush I have progressed and worked my way up to now be the Branch Manager of the Bourne Branch. In my role I oversee the general day-to-day running of the branch and our great team of tyre fitters, making sure the branch is well presented and that the customer service is always top notch! I work with a great team here in Bourne.

Amy Williamson (Right) – Tyre Technician, Bush Tyres Bourne

I started with Bush Tyres a few months ago as a Tyre Technician, since joining Bush Tyres I have gained lots of experience and enjoy working with a great team.

Danielle Savage – Admin, Allround Tyres Rotherham

I work in admin at Allround Tyres in Rotherham, I’ve always been around the tyre industry due to my dad working in it. I always wanted to help when I was little and loved been around the depot! It’s great working at Allround and working with such a good bunch of lads makes it even better!

Jade Nicholls – Branch Manager, Bush Tyres Wolds Commercial

In my role as Branch Manager, I am responsible for overseeing the running of the depot and the outside fitters and to make sure the customer service we provide is at its upmost. I also manage the paperwork that goes through the depot as well as invoicing customers. I also organise the running of the day for example handing out the jobs to fitters and making sure they are aware of what they need to do for each job they attend. I oversee stock (with help from my colleague Steve) making sure the stock levels are correct and also ordering the stock we need to complete the jobs throughout the day. 

I have been within the Bush Team since I was 17, and first started as an apprentice Administration Assistant at Spalding Commercial and was there for about 2 years. I completed my apprenticeship and was offered a permanent contract as an Admin Assistant. Though I had an 18-month break, I came back in March 2020 to work alongside everyone in the commercial team at Boston. Unfortunately, due to covid I was on furlough for 8 months, but in July 2021 I was offered the Branch Manager position within Wolds Commercial.

We definitely need more woman in the tyre industry, don’t get me wrong, working within the depot and working with men it can be difficult at times and it for sure gives you a thick skin! Coming into the tyre industry not knowing a lot it’s a massive learning curve and you’re learning all the time which I find amazing!

Having more woman coming into the tyre industry would give it a completely different dynamic when speaking to customers on the phone they have commented how nice it is to speak to woman on the phone within the tyre industry due to the fact sometimes they feel a lot more comfortable. It shows that woman can make it in such a male dominated industry.

Becky Harmston – Tyre Technician, Bush Tyres Sleaford

As a level 3 qualified mechanic, I am grateful to Bush Tyres for giving me the opportunity to work for them, in what is a very male dominated trade.

I have been made aware of progression and training within the company, which would be available to me if I so wish, and I look forward to utilising this and to any further opportunities made available to me.

Michelle Pite – National Fleet Lead, Bush Tyres Spalding Commercial

I have worked in the tyre industry for many years, starting my career at National Tyres and Autocare as a Service Receptionist, gaining promotion to Service Manageress and then Branch Manager. I left the industry for a few years during my children’s early years and when returning to work full time I returned to the tyre industry starting at Enterprise Tyres which was then taken over by Bush Tyres.

My role within Bush Tyres has changed over the years from depot administration, to working at the admin hub and now assisting all depots with National Fleet administration training and advice as National Fleet Lead.

Although I work in a mainly male dominated industry, it is not something I notice on a day-to-day basis as the company ethos is very much based on equal opportunities!

Natasha Hildred – HR Administrator, Head Office

I started at BA Bush in November 2019 with next to no experience in the role but was quickly made to feel welcome by everyone at Head Office. It can be daunting to begin working in what is perceived to be a predominantly male based industry, but as I settled into the role and began understanding the inner workings of the company, I found everyone at BA Bush to be helpful, understanding and accommodating. If I was unsure of something there was always someone to ask, everyone across the company has a wealth of knowledge in different areas and you always learn something new.

I love working in the office as no one day is the same as my role is very varied. My technical (tyre) knowledge has improved massively since I first started – I’d love to learn to fit tyres, but I don’t quite think they trust my technical knowledge enough to be let loose in the workshop!

I would encourage anyone considering a career in the automotive industry, whether that is in the office or workshop, to take the leap. It’s a decision I’ve never looked back on, and I’m excited for my future with the company.

Here at BA Bush, we are proud to have an incredibly talented and knowledgeable team of staff across all of our Bush Tyres retail branches, warehouses and offices. A big thank you to everyone who took part and shared their experiences above.

We are always interested in hearing about motivated, dedicated and talented people, so if you are interested in joining the BA Bush team check out our Careers page to see our current opportunities or get in touch!