Garage Talk Q&A: Marsha Thomas

Garage Talk sat down with Marsha Thomas, the first female Country Manager for the UK and Ireland at Lubricant giants, Petronas, read the exclusive interview below.

GT - Congratulations on a year in the role, is it what you expected?

MT - Thank you - it’s been a busy but hugely successful and rewarding 12 months so far. As I had already been with the company for over six years, my deep knowledge of the UK market and Global Lubricants Industry has definitely helped prepare me for this role as the first female Country Manager UK & Ireland.

I've held several senior positions in this sector, across Europe, and it’s been really exciting to bring all that knowledge together to develop strategies that look after the needs of PLI’s clients and itself as a business. It’s also an added bonus to be able to do this whilst breaking traditionally male dominated roles. This clearly demonstrates why a female perspective is invaluable to the industry too.

GT - The automotive sector is going through a big change at the moment, especially with the Automotive 30% club. How do you think the industry has welcomed you?

MT - My career has always been within the automotive industry. From the dealer network to PLI, I've always been in a male dominated environment.

I am very fortunate to work for a company as diverse as PLI that challenges the norm and the appointment of our female GCEO last year shows the constant evolution of PLI.

Having the right, can-do attitude can get you a long way in any industry – the automotive industry has been good to me over the years. It's now my role to show young women that it is possible to work in this industry and be successful.

GT - What is your message to any females that are looking to enter the automotive market?

MT - My main message to young women wanting to join the automotive market would be that hard work is definitely an essential part of being successful. The industry is changing and it’s an exciting time to be part of it as it is now based on merit and not gender bias.

The best piece of advice I've been given would have to be from a previous female strategic manager of mine. She would always say, “You can only do your best - it's very important how you handle things going forward because you cannot always change circumstances, but you can change how you deal with them”. This has stuck with me throughout my career and often influences the way I approach situations at PLI. This is a message I pass on to young people too.

GT - What is your message to businesses that need to diversify and welcome the talent pool of ladies into the industry?

MT - We see that automotive businesses are moving in the right direction albeit slowly. 5-10 years ago, I don't know if I would have become a Country manager. I think appreciating and recognizing how far we have come is always a good place to start, but we must understand that there is still a long way to go, not just in our industry.

I’m proud to be the first female head of market. I’m honoured to have been given this opportunity and it's a massive step for me and real proof that PLI has faith in me as a leader.

I have so many female members of PLI reaching out to me to say, “This gives us hope in the business”. So, as a result of my success, it's also a massive boost for the whole UK team as well as PLI in general. Comments like that make all the hard work even more worth it, not solely on a professional level, but also on a personal one.

GT - What are your plans for the next 12 months?

MT - Looking ahead, I'm still extremely ambitious and want to build on the success of my first 12 months. My main goal for the UK & Ireland is to continue to grow PLI’s market share, as well as developing strong relationships with my team and customers, ultimately ensuring PLI continues to thrive in 2023 and beyond. This year is all about the customer, and listening to their needs so we can thrive in these difficult and uncertain economic times, and that’s exactly what I intend to do alongside my team.

In the same vein, it’s also the year of sustainability, so this is another key focus for the company over the next 12 months. In fact, we recently announced new research that found over half of UK consumers (57%) want to help make the automotive industry greener, but equally, over half (56%) wouldn’t be willing to pay any more for alternative products. It will therefore be a priority for the next year at PLI to show our commitment to assisting clients in realising that maintaining their vehicle doesn't have to be a challenging or intimidating chore. We want to help consumers select the ideal vehicle, demonstrating that constructive change in the automotive sector is feasible. We want to alter their views for the better for this year and beyond.