In an automotive landscape increasingly defined by complex electronics, advanced vehicle systems and rapid technological change, the ability to diagnose problems quickly and accurately has never been more critical. For workshops across Australia, that challenge often begins with the right equipment and, often, the right advice and guidance.
At the centre of this evolving space is Siobhan MacDonald, the 30-year-old founder and CEO of Premium Diagnostic Equipment, a fast-growing Queensland-based business supplying diagnostic tools – and technical back-up support – to workshops, mechanics and fleet operators nationwide. From humble beginnings in a small New Zealand country town to leading a multi-million-dollar company at the forefront of workshop technology, Siobhan’s journey is one defined by determination, calculated risk-taking and an unwavering passion for the automotive industry.
Her pathway into automotive was shaped by curiosity and a fascination with machines. Growing up in Feilding, a small rural town in New Zealand’s North Island, she developed an early interest in engineering and anything mechanical.
Her initial ambition, however, was aviation and straight out of school she applied to join the Air Force as an aircraft technician – an opportunity that ultimately did not materialise.
Rather than discouraging her, the setback redirected her toward automotive and, at 17, she enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship course in Palmerston North, the nearest major city to her hometown.
“I was always interested in mechanics. Anything with an engine. Anything that went fast!” explains Siobhan.
Despite completing her training, finding work in a regional area proved challenging.
“After a year, I still couldn’t get an apprenticeship,” she says. “There aren’t many job opportunities where I’m from.”
Determined to build a career, Siobhan applied for positions across New Zealand before eventually securing an apprenticeship with a major dealership in Auckland – a move that required significant personal sacrifice, and a transition that was far from easy.
“I packed my life up and moved six hours away from my family and friends to pursue my apprenticeship,” she says.
“At that age, it was a really tough thing to do – moving away from my family and my friends and going to a completely new city and new job. I didn’t know anyone and, coming from a small town, going to a big city is actually quite scary, too.”
Her perseverance paid off. Siobhan completed her apprenticeship across two Auckland dealerships by the age of 20, establishing a strong technical foundation that would underpin her business success.
After qualifying, and seeking both career development and lifestyle change, Siobhan headed across the Tasman Sea to Australia and Queensland’s Gold Coast and, over the following few years, she gained plenty of experience across multiple dealerships, steadily expanding her knowledge of both technical and customer-facing aspects of the industry.
This broad exposure to dealership operations – that included work from service advisor to assistant service manager – would prove invaluable.
SPOTTING A GAP IN THE MARKET
It was in 2020 that the idea for Premium Diagnostic Equipment emerged as many business ideas do – as a response to a challenge and as the search for a solution to a problem.
“I’d been working in Australia for about for four-and-a-half years,” says Siobhan. “I had a Ford Ranger at the time, and I really needed a scan tool because I had an issue with my car.”
Unable to borrow a workshop diagnostic tool, she began researching alternatives and quickly recognised a problem.
“I saw a bit of a gap in the market because what I found was that of the people who did sell them, no one carried anything in stock, and they couldn’t really tell me the differences between models. They didn’t really know a lot of information about them,” she says.
“And I thought to myself, ‘How are old-school mechanics dealing with vehicles and technology these days if they can’t access these tools? And who’s training them how to use them?’ I just really saw a gap in the market. I saw a problem and I wanted to solve that problem.”
With technical expertise, workshop experience and a clear understanding of customer needs, she began the process of building a business around the idea of efficiently delivering the diagnostic tools that technicians needed when and where they needed them.
It was a process that involved learning some new skills herself – when you’re bootstrapping a start-up business idea, then long hours and plenty of graft are a given – and Siobhan began building a website from which to sell the small number of products she intended to stock, and from which to communicate with potential customers.
There was plenty of scepticism from others as the 25-year-old Siobhan began this part of her journey, but she persisted.
“I got laughed at by a few of my friends, and people really did doubt me, but I didn’t listen,” she says with a smile. “I just kept going. I created the website and we started with just four products.”
HARD GRAFT AND THE RISK PAYS OFF
Premium Diagnostic Equipment began as a side project while Siobhan continued working in a dealership. Every spare moment was spent developing the business and it became clear quite quickly that the gap she had spotted in the market was, perhaps, a sizeable one – and one which quickly enabled her to take a significant leap.
“While I was working in the dealership, I started the website and in my spare time I was building that . . .” she says. “Within six months I was able to quit my job and focus on the business full time. That was very scary. It was a huge risk. Probably one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken, but I’m so glad I did it, because it really paid off.”
While there was an appetite for the products and services Siobhan was offering – enough for her to take the leap into the business-ownership unknown – the early stages were far from smooth. Cash flow presented a major challenge, particularly as Siobhan wanted to ensure that she could develop one part of her business that would differentiate her from competitors – holding stock locally.
“The early days were really, really tricky because I wanted to carry stock of everything, and my problem was cash flow,” she says. “I didn’t have any money to invest in stock, and I wanted to have everything on the shelf ready to go.”
Her solution was simple but demanding – she returned to hands-on mechanical work to fund the business.
“To get that money to invest, I used my trades and I went back on the tools,” she says. “I did pre-purchase inspections, roadworthy inspections, servicing – I was doing mobile mechanic work all day, every day, trying to bring in some cash so I could invest in stock.”
For two years she balanced the development of Premium Diagnostics with this hands-on work to keep things ticking over the way she wanted. It was, she says, physically and mentally exhausting, and led to a defining moment.
“I was under a car doing a roadworthy inspection with the phone up to my ear, explaining a customer the difference between these two tools,” she explains. “And I just thought. ‘This is ridiculous. I need to hire somebody because I can’t keep doing this’.”
And so, in March 2022, Siobhan hired her first employee. It was a major milestone.
“Up until that point, I was working seven days a week, and I hadn’t even paid myself a wage yet!”
FROM GARAGE STARTUP TO NATIONAL SUPPLIER
Like many a good start-up business story, Premium Diagnostic Equipment’s story begins in a home garage.
“When I first started the business, we were fully online and I was working out of my garage,” says Siobhan. “It grew very quickly and it got to the point where it was ridiculous. We had trucks turning up with loads of stock and customers turning up all day hours of the night.”
Within two years the company moved into dedicated premises and significantly expanded its product offering. Today Premium Diagnostic Equipment sells more than 630 products, supplying diagnostic scan tools and related equipment nationwide, while also providing technical advice and support – a key differentiator in a market where knowledge is as valuable as the tools themselves.
Siobhan believes the complexity of modern vehicles is helping to drive demand for advanced diagnostic solutions and, consequently, make the services she offers increasingly attractive to the industry.
But just as those who buy tools through her company and use their technical expertise to get the most out of those tools, Siobhan and her team have to be aware of the technological advances heading the industry’s way.
“The automotive industry is ever evolving. It is changing very rapidly. Cars are basically computers on wheels these days and to keep up with that we do a lot of research,” she says.
Keeping up to date with the vast and complicated technological developments within the industry would be terrifically difficult for anyone, not least someone overseeing a growing business and all the complexities that entails.
But here, again, just as with the building of a website, Siobhan proved that, with a clarity of purpose and wholehearted determination, she could build something special, using the new-fangled technology of AI to build an in-house platform tailored specifically to Premium Diagnostic Equipment.
It’s an intelligent, constantly learning knowledge platform that ensures her team can access accurate technical data and diagnostic guidance in real time. By integrating information such as technical service bulletins and tool-specific data into a system that evolves alongside the business, Siobhan is able to continue to deliver on the mission upon which the business was founded – offering the tools and the support that technicians need, when they need it – while also being able to keep an eye on the technology that is just around the corner.
“We can ask it pretty much anything and it will give us an answer. And it’s always learning. It’s always evolving. It’s learning with us,” Siobhan says of the platform.
“And we want to be ahead of the curve. We want to be one step ahead. We want to be looking into what’s going to be required for the next generation of cars coming out before they’re even here.”
The trade-qualified mechanic part of Siobhan is never far from the surface, and one of the most satisfying parts of what she does is helping technicians solve complex vehicle issues. However, being a business owner and being the person ultimately responsible for the direction of the business and its success, is equally satisfying.
“I think the most rewarding thing is when we’ve got a customer with a car that’s been to six different workshops, and no one can figure out what’s going on with it. They get us on the phone, they’ve got one of our tools, and we can remotely log in, go back to basics with them, and figure it out . . . I like that side of it,” she says.
“But running a business is, in itself, also very rewarding,” she adds. “You know, the freedom that I have now is good.
“When I look back, it’s absolutely incredible how far we’ve come, how much this business has grown. If you had said to me six years ago that I was going to own a multi-million-dollar company, I would have laughed at you!
“Anything’s possible!”
Anything is possible, that is true, but it’s clear that there are attributes that a person has to have to be able to pursue an idea and make it successful.
For Siobhan, her success can be attributed to three core personal strengths.
“The first one would be my determination,” she says. “No matter what, just push through and lock in and focus.
“The second would be my risk taking. I do take a lot of risks – calculated risks – and let’s just say there have been some risks that I’ve taken where, if it didn’t work out, I would have lost everything.
“And the third would be having a positive mindset. Attitude is so important because you’re going to be dealing with problems and solving problems all day.”
These are traits that are useful for everyone, but perhaps more so for a woman looking to make her mark in the workshop and as a business owner in the automotive industry.
Having entered the industry at a time when female representation was limited, Siobhan met her share of indifference and bias, but she is encouraged by the progress she has seen over the years.
“I think the industry has come a long way in terms of how women are supported,” she says. “I definitely felt, when I first started, that there was not a lot of support, but I think times have definitely changed.
“I’m seeing a lot more women in technical and leadership roles in the automotive space, which is really promising.”
Her advice to young women considering a career in automotive is simple and direct, reflecting her own characteristics.
“If you are passionate about it, go for it, because at the end of the day, even if it doesn’t work out, you’re still going to have valuable knowledge,” she says.
“Also, don’t let yourself be pushed around. I think it’s very important that you have confidence in yourself.”
A PASSION FOR CARS AND A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Beyond business, Siobhan remains a passionate car enthusiast.
“Obviously, I love cars and I’ve owned probably 60 different cars in my life!”
Her current daily driver is a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, while a cherished 1978 Mark II Ford Escort – owned since she was 17 – is on its way from New Zealand. Her dream vehicle?
“I would absolutely love a G-wagon, but what I’d probably love even more is a Dodge Charger RT 440. In black. Dream car!”
It’s an interesting contrast – the dream car of a young, tech-savvy business owner, whose focus is on the diagnostic technology that powers modern vehicles, is a classic slice of American muscle from the late 1960s.
It’s a contrast that reflects the changing face of the automotive industry itself – an industry that is in transition as it moves away from internal combustion engine power and which is increasingly technical, entrepreneurial and innovation-driven.
Siobhan’s story also highlights the power of practical experience combined with vision. Every step of her career – from dealership apprentice to service manager, from mobile mechanic to business owner – contributed to the creation of a company that now supports workshops across Australia.
From a teenager leaving home to pursue an apprenticeship to the founder of a thriving national business, Siobhan’s journey demonstrates how practical experience, vision and resilience can shape a career.
“If I was to give my younger self some advice, I would tell her to keep going. Be confident,” says Siobhan with a smile. “You do deserve to be there and just keep pushing through.”
It’s a philosophy that continues to drive both her success and the future of Premium Diagnostic Equipment.