Meet the Automotive Team

At Venatu we recruit across multiple Divisions, one of our largest being Automotive. The team is split between Heavy Goods Vehicles, Public Transport (buses/coaches) and Light Commercial Vehicles.

The Automotive and Driving Teams are led by Andy Beverley the Operations Director.

Light Commercial Vehicles

The Automotive Light Vehicle Division uses a unique approach to finding talent. The skills and experience that runs through the Team is what makes them stand out from other recruiters; They are personable with their service, and are in constant contact with their clients and candidates. Sara Watson kickstarted the Division and has grown a very efficient, close-knit team, they work with businesses such as dealer groups, autocentres, and independent garages, ranging from 150 sites across the UK to just 2 sites.

The team has seen significant growth over the last year, which has enabled them to build up an experienced team of mechanics and staff to support our clients. The Team also provide additional perks such as vouchers, days out, benefit schemes, plus many more. The reason behind the succession is the attitude our Specialists have when it comes to putting themselves out there, going on client visits, showing them that they care and are active in the role they play. In return for this community, they provide rewards such as vouchers, days out, benefits schemes plus many more.

Our Light Vehicle Specialists include Sara Watson who is the Head of Division for Light Vehicles. Sara is a specialist in providing a full 360 solution in both sales and aftersales. With six years in the trade, she decided to transfer those skills over to recruitment. Sara has achieved an awful lot in two years and now leads a team of three direct reports. Sara uses her knowledge, along with her characterful personality, to build some amazing relationships with both Contractors and clients.

Laura Watkin is the Car and LCV Business Development Manager. As a BD Manager she uses her experience and knowledge to create a 360 solution, always bringing on business and eager to work alongside Sara with new clients and contractors. Account managing is also a large aspect which Laura has took on and over excels in, creating, and maintaining relationships with clients. Laura is a massive part of the team, working hard and providing the best service to our clients and candidiates.

Ellie McGuiness is the Recruitment Consultant within the Team and has the skillset to recruit the perfect candidate for clients. Along with Sara and Laura, Ellie provides a 360-service using her knowledge of the trade. Before becoming a recruiter Ellie spent a number of years working as a Service Advisor for a large car dealership and gained large amounts of experience and industry knowledge. Ellie is well versed in the processes and terminology which makes her an integral part of the team, along with her ability to speak to Technicians confidently and collectively.

Katy Plant is the Social Media Resourcer within the Team. She scouts highly skilled Vehicle Technicians, MOT Testers, Panel Beaters, Body Shop Technicians, Workshop Controllers and Service Advisors. Katy is a professional when it comes to picking out the best candidates and uses her soical media skills to attract the best talent, whether it’s sending voice notes, advertising the Teams' roles or connecting with others in the industry. The focus and main aim for Katy is to promote the amazing Team and the service they are able to provide.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

Our Heavy Vehicle Specialists conclude of Matthew Woodward who is the Business Manager, leading the office team and focusing on resourcing engineers for HGV and PSV roles. He spends time chasing leads for HGV placements, helping develop business. He checks reports are up to date and maintained, allowing us to keep track on progress. Matthew has a strong history within various recruitment sectors with over three years dedicated to our Automotive Contracting Division.

James Woodward is the Contracts Consultant for the HGV side who looks after our key accounts, dealing with some of our biggest brands. He works closely with Matthew to attract engineers and ensure they have a constant supply of roles. James has been with the Automotive Sector for almost six years and has developed good relationships with many Engineers and customers within that time.

Graham Richardson is the Contracts Engineering Manager and looks after customer relations, mainly in the PSV Sector. The role encompasses business development, attracting engineers and advising on technical issues whilst dealing with many high-end users. Another part of Graham’s role is to help Engineers, whether that’s identifying training needs or vetting new Engineers for suitability. Graham has been working within the PSV / Automotive Industry for almost 38 years in various roles. He has been with the Contracting Team at Venatu for the past two and a half years.

Sarah Tighe is a Contracts Consultant and focuses on developing relationships with customers to help business development. She keeps close contact with our engineers; allowing them to efficiently communicate and establish a relationship with us. Sarah works closely with Graham to ensure growth in numbers of contractors and clients; allocating the right Engineers with the correct skill sets to suite the needs of the clients. Sarah has been with the Automotive Team for four and a half years.

Support

Enia Readshaw leads the Automotive Compliance Team, ensuring all of our contractors meet their legal requirements from right to work, insurance, legal documents etc. She looks after the payroll and time sheets to ensure customers are billed correctly and our engineers are paid on time. She looks after the administration for Truck and Bus as well as having oversite for Car and Driving.

Maddison Cooper looks after the payroll and compliance for both the Car and Driving Teams. She works closely with Enia and also takes part in actively marketing roles on social media, along with helping support the whole Automotive Team.

Our Consultants are experienced, having worked within the industries they recruit for. The market being very candidate-driven enables us to offer insightful information and solutions to our candidates. 

The Automotive Division recruits for many roles, including-

• HGV Technicians
• Parts Advisors
• HGV Class 1
• HGV Class 2
• PSV Technicians
• Mechanics

These types of roles can involve-

• Inspection, maintenance, and repair of vehicles.
• Diagnostics and repairs of mechanical issues/ electrical issues.
• Replacement of major units
• Always maintain health and safety standards and work within the company guidelines.

The average pay rates for contractors per hour-

• Truck £27
• Bus £26.50
• Lights £21

The qualifications needed-

Either City and Guilds, BTEC ONC, IMI or NVQ Level 3 and where possible four years post qualification experience. There are exceptions based on traceable work history with checkable references.