It’s easy to think about the automotive industry as one that is all about horsepower, performance, engines, tyres, panels, batteries and all the myriad components and technologies that make the vehicles on our roads such fantastic pieces of machinery to drive in and work on.
The industry is, of course, much more than that and it is easy to overlook the human engine that is comprised of the men and women who keep those vehicles ticking along and the industry itself ticking over.
At Queensland-based DMH Group, which operates multiple Bridgestone tyre stores in the southeast of the state and employs 100 staff, that human engine is maintained by Carolyn Rimmer, a woman whose career journey is as unconventional as the title and role she now occupies.
Carolyn is DMH Group’s Company Culture Coordinator – aka ‘Triple C’.
It’s a title that might sound like a modern corporate invention, but it accurately reflects the responsibilities she has, for hers is a role that revolves around relationships, growth, and the reasoning that people, not processes, ultimately define business success.
It’s a role that reflects the broader shift in the automotive sector that sees an increasing focus on workforce retention, skills development and wellbeing, particularly as businesses navigate technician shortages and rapid technological change.
For Carolyn, the philosophy underpinning her work is quite personal.
“Most people think it’s HR [Human Resources], but it’s actually not,” says Carolyn with a smile as she discusses the ‘Triple C’ position.
“My main responsibility is all about our teams. So, I do the recruitment, the learning and development . . . We have events, awards, recognise accomplishments, and anything to do with the team members’ journey in the DMH Group falls upon me. So, I have 100 friends that I look after day in and day out!”
FROM PHARMACY COUNTER TO WORKSHOP FLOOR
Carolyn’s journey to the automotive industry began in an entirely different sector, and for three decades she worked within retail pharmacy, building a career in customer service, training and operations.
“I loved every minute of it,” she says of this part of her career. “I started as a junior at a pharmacy and worked there for nearly 20 years with the same owner.
“Then it was just time to grow, and I haven’t put a ceiling on my career since.”
Carolyn moved through roles and organisations, developing a skill set that would prove invaluable.
“I’ve had wonderful opportunities training for a dermalogical company; I’ve worked for the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, which is a training organisation; and then got to work for Sigma, which is one of Australia’s largest wholesalers in the national training sector,” she explains. “I met amazing people in my career in pharmacy and am still very good friends with many of them . . .”
Her time with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Sigma Healthcare in particular exposed her to training systems, workforce development strategies and the dynamics of large organisations, and these skills would translate seamlessly into her work with DMH Group and the Company Culture Coordinator role.
Shifting from the pharmaceutical industry to the automotive industry does not sound like a natural switch, but it was the opportunity to take on that really interesting sounding ‘Triple C’ role that caught Carolyn’s attention and made the decision to move an easy one to make.
That opportunity came via DMH Group owner and Managing Director Damien Meneguzzo, whose vision for a people-focused business model resonated strongly with Carolyn.
“I did know Damien . . . and I’d listened to him for years talking about his vision for the DMH Group,” she says. “And then he mentioned that this role as the company culture coordinator. I didn’t really bat an eyelid to the fact that I was leaving pharmacy and entering automotive.”
For many, such a move might have been daunting – particularly given the automotive industry’s reputation as being male-dominated. For Carolyn, it was simply the next challenge. However, while it may have been the role, not the industry itself, that excited Carolyn, she does actually have a personal connection to the automotive world.
“My dad was employed in the automotive industry, particularly at Nissan,” she explains. “And I used to love it when he’d bring home the new cars that had come out – the Urvan van, Nissan 300 ZXs, Skylines – and I used to love getting in them and seeing what all of them were about.”
Those childhood memories have ensured that Carolyn has a genuine appreciation and love for the sector.
NO SET TREAD PATTERN
Ask Carolyn what a typical day looks like for her, and the answer is there isn’t one.
“You never know what is going to happen . . .’ she says. “Some days can be challenging. Some days can be very rewarding, and I’d like to say that the rewarding days outweigh the challenging ones.”
One day she may be conducting an employment interview, or signing someone up for an apprenticeship, or recognising the accomplishments of a team members, or perhaps announcing to the Group some news about the birth of a team member’s baby or grandchild,
Although it’s very unlikely you’ll find Carolyn changing a tyre or performing a wheel alignment, there is the chance, from time to time, of finding her behind the counter at one of the DMH Group’s 11 Bridgestone shops.
“That’s where my skill set ends,” she says with a chuckle. “But I can make sure the customers are happy and, on those days, I get to spend time with team members, which is really invaluable.”
It is this hands-on approach that defines her role, and the impact she makes within the Group. The auto industry is one in which frontline staff are critical to customer satisfaction, and Carolyn ensures that everyone knows that every role matters.
“. . . I think that mechanics, tyre fitters, store managers, are very undervalued in what they bring to the community,” she says.
“We would all be very in unsafe, unreliable cars without these guys . . . They are really great at what they do . . . And we really need we need these people to make our cars reliable and safe every single day.”
Recognising the skill and dedication of the DMH Group team members through a commitment to internal progression is a crucial part of Carolyn’s role, and there is a note of pride in her voice as she speaks about those whose careers are evolving within the company.
“The thing that I love the most is watching team members grow and develop through our system,” she says. “Two of our area managers were mechanics who became store managers and we have tyre fitters who are now customer service advisors.”
This internal mobility is not accidental.
“Whenever we recruit, the first place I go is internally,” says Carolyn. It’s my responsibility to know and be on top of everyone’s journey and where they want to go in the group.
“Sometimes it takes us months to make that internal movement happen, but the feeling that we all get seeing that person grow and develop in our group is indescribable. It’s a definitely a dopamine hit that we selfishly grab at!”
REAL ALIGNMENT
Carolyn’s transition from the pharmaceutical industry to automotive offers some insight on gender diversity. The pharma industry is, she says, one where women lead in many roles but leaving that behind and taking on a job in a male-dominated industry didn’t bother her.
“I just thought it could be fun,” she says.
And her experience with the DMH Group has proven that to be the case.
“I have been completely embraced by everyone on board here . . . They have been extremely respectful and open to my ideas.”
Her message to other women who are perhaps considering a career in automotive is unequivocal.
“To young women entering the automotive industry, I wouldn’t be worried about it,” she says. “There’s nothing stopping you entering a male sector.”
If there is a single thread that runs through Carolyn’s career, it is a commitment to learning.
It is a mindset that has enabled her to navigate roles and her own development with confidence and pairs well with the personal qualities she identifies as enabling her to succeed – chief among these being a combination of resilience, adaptability, self-awareness and empathy.
“I think the greatest qualities you can have is definitely resilience,” she says. “However, I will also say that you should not stay somewhere too long. If it’s not the right place for you don’t be scared to leave and move on to greener grass.
“You don’t need to stay somewhere just to be safe. It’s a little bit adventurous to have a go, and I am someone that likes a bit of a challenge.”
Carolyn is also candid about one of the biggest challenges she can often find in a workplace – management, and how empathetic management can make a huge difference. Her advice to leaders is direct.
“To any manager listening to this, I would say to you, consider the importance that you play in people’s day-to-day life – you can make or break the decision to stay in a in a role.”
It is a reminder that leadership is about people as much as it is about performance metrics.
Her outlook is pragmatic and optimistic, and as well as being someone who believes that people should take opportunities that arise, embrace change, develop their skills and take on careers in industries that interest them – male-dominated or otherwise – Carolyn is also a strong advocate for professional networks.
“Networking is the greatest tool you can ever learn in life,” she says. “It is where you meet people, where you grow. It’s just where you learn so much.
“And the Auto Women Initiative is a fantastic tool going forward into the future to secure women into the automotive industry – no doubt about it.”
THE CAR’S THE STAR
Carolyn has long had a love of cars, but her move to work with DMH Group has seen that develop into a genuine passion. Her current daily driver – as well as the dream car she would love to own – reflect her taste for performance.
“Something that I have learned since I’ve been in the auto industry is that I am a closet car enthusiast,” she says with a smile. “My daily car is a Hyundai N Line – I love something with a little bit of sport in it. However, if I’m going to go for my dream car, it’s going to be my Ford Mustang V8. There’s nothing like a V8. The sound, the rumble, everything about it!”
Owning a V8 Mustang is not about playing it safe. It’s bold and aspirational – a decent metaphor for a career which now sees Carolyn, as the ‘Triple C’, aim to help her team pursue those goals too. In an industry undergoing rapid transformation her role serves as a reminder that success still hinges on human connection and that culture is not a buzzword, but a strategy.