MotoNovo Finance has recognised three dealers who have gone the extra mile in the last year, at its annual Extra Mile Awards.

The event was held at the Belfry Hotel on April 28 and was hosted by MotoNovo's managing director Karl Werner, commercial director Debbie McKay and former rugby union international Ben Kay.

Bridgend Motor Group picked up the Community Impact Award, with judges commending group manager Graham Kirkwood as an ambassador for Ayrshire Hospice. In addition, the business has run an annual ball for the past twenty years to raise funds for the hospice that has raised over £1M to date. Highly commended was Buckingham Ford.

The Customer Journey Award was won by the German Car Group. Judges said: "an excellent example of leading the customer journey in all things Motor. Every enquiry is answered and responded to in great detail, working to understand the customer and their needs before providing recommendations and forwarding a detailed video of the vehicle of interest. Online and offline, everything is handled brilliantly.” Motorpoint was highly commended.

Foray Motor Group picked up the Partnership award, having committed to a collaborative approach with MotoNovo, from technology to consultancy support, training and co-operation in new product development. “It is a tremendous example of a win-win position for both parties in helping car buyers," judges said. Highly commended was Global MotoGroup

As well as the prized awards, MotoNovo donated £500 to the three winners' chosen charities and £250 to each of the highly commended dealers.

Werner said: "The Extra Mile Awards have become highly prized by the dealer community as an opportunity to develop and showcase their efforts to demonstrate their customer centricity and their commitment to being good local citizens. While congratulating the winners, I want to recognise the high quality demonstrated by all finalists. They show us the impact of placing customer needs at the heart of their businesses and the value such an approach delivers for them as well."

MotoNovo Finance recently launched a new network to support dealer and broker partners in increasing female representation at all levels across motor retailing.

Leading the initiative is Werner, an active member of The Automotive 30% Club. His '30 by 30' strategy aims to see at least 30% of key leadership positions held by talented women by 2030. It is a goal that MotoNovo has already exceeded with a 50/50 gender structure in place across the business' Senior Leadership team.