Neale Laker

Background

About Neale Laker

With extensive freelance and employed international experience across 5 continents, I am known by employers, OEM partners, and country-managed teams as the Go-To for strategy advice, market and competitor assessment, and the building of short, medium, and long-term footprint growth plans. With a forensic understanding of the automotive body repair and motor manufacturer (OEM) space, I operate at the highest level – boards – with both current and prospective partners, as well as coaching and mentoring country leaders. Controlling business in EMEA and APAC, and having spent 7 years with a US top-500 corporation, I understand equally the nuts and bolts, and big picture – and teach my teams how the nuts and bolts have to be right or there is no big picture. This incorporates detailed use of lean principles, 5S and TOC (Theory of Constraints) methodologies. Having been brought in to run Tesla Motors’ entire “Body Repair Programmes”, I was initially positioned in APAC, the success of which led to me being brought in to drive the EMEA equivalent. I was successful in building and executing simple operations, tight financials, and a focused team. This required a blended skillset of business improvement, joining closely with country corporate and vendor colleagues, highlighting, and driving change management, and maintaining a close eye on all financials, including P&L, to net profit line. Having offered services from my own highly respected business, NDL Consultants, I was most recently based In Norway, as Country Manager, with Werksta Group. Managing and guiding, at various points, 5 Regional Managers, 150 staff,+20 markets, and 200M NOK budget, I have driven sales of $2.3M AUS (budget $1M target), overseen 280+ automotive body shops, and reported directly to VPs. With excellent networking skills, I deliver the highest standards of customer service by recruiting the best staff. My leadership capabilities lead my teams to quickly develop the knowledge of the sector.