Winners 2024

Retail 2024

Carole Merry is one of only 10 franchise directors at motor retail group Marshall, which has 141 stores around the UK. Within the sizeable group, she oversees nine Honda cars and bikes Sales/Service businesses, across 6 counties stretching from Harrogate, York, Hull, Blackburn and Clitheroe in the north to Peterborough, Leicester and Reading in the south. She gained her promotion in 2019 after impressing as head of sales for Marshall Volvo.

Starting in the industry at the Inchcape group in 2000, she became franchise director for 15 sites there before joining Marshall in 2014 as general manager for Marshall Honda and Marshall Maserati in Peterborough.

Merry has previously cited her two biggest female influences as Caroline Blake-Symes, a lecturer at Loughborough University who guided her in her early career, and Rebecca Stead, head of cars at Honda UK, “who is a fantastic role model for any woman wanting to work in our sector”.

Retail 2024 nominees

Karen Prince, Lookers

Karen Prince is a key member of the senior team at the dealer group, which counts itself as one of the top three in the UK. Karen joined Lookers in 2014 as a franchise operations manager, moving to operations director in 2019 and then to director of customer engagement in 2021. In that role she leads on all brand communications, marketing and PR activities as well as overseeing customer engagement and feedback.

Deborah Reeves, Jardine Motors Group

Deborah Reeves is, within the Jardine dealer group, responsible for the department that oversees customer issues arising from sales or repairs, a position she’s held since 2012. She started in the automotive business in 1995 as training and development office manager for Reg Vardy before switching to Jardine in 2000, working in customer services. She’s won a number of awards within the group, including the CEO Special Award in 2019.

Zoe Lawson, Marshall Motor Group

Zoe Lawson oversees the fleet side of the dealer group’s sales, accounting for around 20,000 vehicles a year based on numbers for the 2023 financial year. She was promoted to the role in 2018, from where she reports to the commercial director. She also sits on corporate sales forums run by manufacturers. She entered the automotive business in 2003 working for Reg Vardy before moving to Pendragon and then Marshall in 2010.

Carol Fairchild, CitNOW Group

Carol Fairchild is in charge of driving sales at the media company focused on providing digital services to dealerships and which now boasts 13,500 subscriptions in 64 countries. She cut her teeth in automotive retail during 17 years at Arnold Clark, rising to group marketing and product development manager. Carol joined CitNOW in 2018, before being promoted to group chief customer officer in 2022 and to her current role in November 2023.

Elaine Cole, Vertu Motors

Elaine Cole joined Vertu – the dealer group behind the Bristol Street Motors and Macklin Motors brands – the year after its foundation in 2006. She started as purchasing director before adding the title of commercial director in 2017. Drawing on 28 years’ experience in retail, Elaine is a key element of the continuing growth of Vertu, which has 189 outlets and is the UK’s largest supplier of vehicles to the Motability fleet.