Michelle Te Rure is the national operations manager at Action Smart Group which specialises in hail repair. She is also one of the esteemed judges for this year's Bodyshop Awards.
How did you get started in the industry?
I turned up to an interview at the original IAG Accident Repair Centre in Whitehorse which is now Gemini and was hired as an estimator. (Not my background but I wowed the boss somehow) He saw potential and my first gig was estimating vehicles for the biggest smash shop in Melbourne in 2011 - from then until now have done every role you can think off non-productive wise.
What do you do now?
Currently the National Operations Manager for Action Smart Group.
What do you most like about the industry?
The challenge and how technology and cars are evolving, however in some weird way the process to repair vehicles seems like it is the same when I started, just slight tweaks along the way.
I love the relationships that are formed. For the hail industry in particular it's the adrenalin of traveling to a new location, being a part of the setup, meeting new people, managing the volume, customer expectations and delivering quality service. I've been involved now with ASG for eight years and then prior to this collision repairs in Victoria for five years. It might seem strange, but I genuinely love what I do.
What do you most dislike about the industry?
When I started, I felt isolated - that it was not a female's place in the industry. However now it's so common to see woman on the workshop floor, in leadership positions, estimating and also in the paint shop. I share my time with sporting groups and balance my work with my passion for sports. I'm involved in committees, coaching and managing teams. Working with kids and developing their skill base in sports aligns my passion in and out of work. I love that my industry and in particular the company I work for allows me to do this, it helps bring more females to the industry as I talk about it all the time.
Who do you most admire in the industry?
I admire all our people in our group. My passion is people development, co-ordination of projects, education and learning as well as mentoring others within the business. I have had many mentors in the industry, however I am very thankful to the owners of Action Smart Group Adam Blackwell and Adam Henningsen who support me to lead their company. I also must make a special mention of Steve Ristas from Whitehorse ARC who also taught me a lot when I got started in the industry.
Cars! tell us - first car, current car, dream car?
I drive a VW Tiguan R Line - Gifted by the team at ASG. Interestingly I don't care what I drive - my first car was a 95 Nissan Pulsar Hatch Back. I think my dream would be something that my husband would love, to be confident enough to ride a motorcycle! Can't believe I said that haha.