V12 Vehicle Finance (V12VF) managing director David Neald and Ciara Raison, the firm’s commercial director, have joined the Automotive 30% club.

The organisation is a voluntary network of MDs and CEOs from across the UK’s automotive industry spanning manufacturing, retailing and suppliers, aiming to achieve a better gender balance.

It aims to spark change in the industry and support inclusive leadership, with a mission of filling at least 30% of leadership roles with diverse women by 2030.

Neald and Raison are the latest business leaders to pledge his support to the group, following MotoNovo Finance managing director Karl Werner, who joined last year.

Raison joins the Club as V12VF’s strategy lead. She is the founding member of Secure Trust Bank’s equality and diversity steering committee. She also scooped ‘Business Leader of the Year’ at the Women in Credit Awards last year. 

Following a recent recruitment drive, 57% of V12VF’s motor team and 59% of its sales team are women, with 56% of senior roles filled by women.

Nield, said: “We truly believe that a business is only ever as good as its people, which is why now was the perfect time to join the Automotive 30% Club to cement our mission of greater equality in our business and across the wider industry.

“We want to help shape an environment where all employees feel comfortable and happy to share their point of view and embrace their identity while at work. The automotive industry is changing for the better, allowing for more diverse opportunities and thinking. We are incredibly proud of our diversity and will continue to invest in our people, recruiting the very best people for our roles.”

Julia Muir, founder of the Automotive 30% Club, added: “I am sure that David and Ciara will be very valuable additions to our network of inclusive leaders, and I look forward to celebrating the ongoing success of their gender balance and diversity actions."

The Solihull-based company is currently listed on Great Places to Work’s Best Workplaces and also placed 16th on its UK Best Places to Work for Women in 2020. 

Dealers that seek to recruit salespeople with the "right customer-focused skills" can expect to improve the gender balance within their business, according to Motorvise founder Fraser Brown.

Brown says the modern motor trade is adopting a customer-focused approach and has moved away from the days of “testosterone-filled showrooms” where female customers and anyone who wasn’t a ‘petrol head’ could be left feeling uncomfortable and unwelcome.