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Women in Business

Showcasing all of the amazing women that work in variety of departments within Sytner BMW.

Debra Zawadzka, Head of Sales at Sytner Leicester, answers our Women In Business questions.

  1. How long have you worked for Sytner BMW/MINI? I have worked for Sytner BMW/MINI for 20 years. I began my return to work launching MINI in 2001 after a 20 year career gap raising four sons.

  2. How long have you been in your current role? I have been Head of Sales at Leicester for 17 years.

  3. What is your favourite part about your current role? I have a great team of diverse, highly motivated Managers, Executives, Apprentices and Support Team and I enjoy guiding them to fulfil their potential and personal career goals.

  4. What motivates you in the morning? Sytner is a great company to work for with fabulous premises, product and re-numeration. I recognise that and always try to do my best each day to acknowledge the opportunity I have been given and to give something back.

  5. Three words to describe yourself? Achiever, Firm but fair.

  6. What is your greatest achievement? Being able to combine my career whilst raising four sons. I’m delighted that they too are successful, with two holding Management positions in Sytner.

  7. What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be in your role? Don’t be in too much of a hurry to chase a title! Enjoy each role you are initially employed to do and ensure you become an expert in that field first. Recognition will follow, as will your natural progression.

  8. How have you seen the Automotive industry landscape change and evolve to engage more women? I began my career in 1978 as a “pioneering” female Sales Executive selling both BMW and Ferrari. It’s refreshing to see so many successful women now employed in the industry with three female Heads of Business in our Division alone. 50% of our customers are after-all women! Decision making stats show that approx. 90% of decisions begin with women. Having a balance of both men and women provides the best environment for our customers and I feel we have the right balance in the team here at Leicester.

  9. Top tip for how you organise your days? I always have a list of tasks to complete in order of priority. If you write it down, you won’t forget it!

  10. Top tip for working in the automotive industry? Each day brings fresh challenges! Be prepared to be flexible and adapt quickly to change.

Debra Zawadska