Impact Partner Content: Absa

About two decades have passed since automotive maven Donna McCulloch plunged headfirst into an illustrious career that started out as a fortuitous by-product rather than by design.

After completing her university studies, Donna McCulloch initially planned to venture into desktop publishing, but with almost zero experience, few employers were willing to give her an opportunity and without a fancy computer and the necessary software – which seemed to be requiring constant upgrades – it was difficult to get a foot in the door.

With family links to the motoring industry she had some prior exposure to the sector. Her first job involved telemarketing, data capturing and other clerical work in a dealership in West Street, Durban, South Africa while studying at an institution across the road. “The office was in a cranky little space above another storeroom. You felt like the staircase was going to break and you didn’t know what was going to come out of the next cupboard. It was dusty and dirty, but I stuck it out and I phoned the customers and I started to learn about the dealership.”

Soon, she graduated to the reception desk and gained basic accounting skills in the hours in between her lectures and studies. Her flame for the automotive sector was ignited.

“I decided then that I was going to go into the finance side of a dealership, and I was a PA (personal assistant) for a while for the national finance manager of CMH Motor Dealer Group.”

In this role, she was exposed to the finance and insurance (F&I) floor and was gradually trusted with greater responsibility.

“I think it was the most fun I ever had working… it gave me a lot of experience with people,” Donna said, adding that her flexibility and creativity skills were sharpened. These were skills that would later work to her advantage.

But with an insatiable zeal for life she needed a new challenge and Donna decided to spend two and half years abroad, in the UK. On her return, she took a step that surprised many in her circle. “I said, ‘I’m going to become a DP (dealer principal)’ and they said ‘What? You’re only 25 years old!’. They said the only way I’m going to become a DP is by starting at the bottom and I said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’”

The rest is history as she painstakingly climbed the corporate ladder from sales executive to sales manager and eventually dealer principal of CMH Mazda and Suzuki in the upmarket coastal town of Umhlanga in KwaZulu-Natal. She was prepared to roll up her sleeves to do the spade work, her father Jebb McIntosh – now CEO of CMH – only playing a mentoring role along with her Franchise Director Trevor Morey.

Last year, Donna was crowned Dealer of the Year 2019 at the CMH national awards.

And then the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Fortunately, it has been Donna’s hands-on approach to the business and past experience that enabled her to make incisive decisions although it was a difficult task to cut expenses and curb staff benefits to keep the business afloat and save jobs.

She encourages businesspeople to reflect as often as possible. “You’ve got to take the time to look back and say this is what we did wrong… where we went right…if it works, we use it again. I think that’s one of the biggest things that I’ve learnt during this COVID [pandemic].”

That and realizing the fruit of her ambitious plan to upskill every employee who joins the company in an entry level position. This meant many of her staff members could be repurposed during the national lockdown. “A receptionist never stays too long because I’m always moving her somewhere else in the business. I try to do the same in our workshop. I like to see growth in individuals.”

Concerns about the impact of currency fluctuations on the price of imported vehicles aside, Donna expects consumers to recover financially and she has a positive outlook for dealerships particularly in the used car market which has seen greater traction than new vehicle sales. “We just need to analyze the customer’s needs properly, be on the same page as them and it will work out.

To be renowned for excellent customer service is one of her goals for the dealership as well as to make it a sought-after destination to purchase a Mazda, Suzuki or Isuzu vehicle.

But at 39 years of age, Donna remains as emphatic and independently willed as when she started out. “I’m not here to prove a point to anybody.”

In the end what counts is her passion to run a good business. “When my head goes on the pillow at night, I know that I’ve done my best at work, I’ve done my best for my children and husband,” she says.