West Australian body repair industry stalwart Wayne Phipps has been elected as President of MTA WA.
The 38 year veteran of the body repair industry said that the election to the position of President was a great honour and that he looked forward to furthering the position of the automotive industry in WA.
Phipps takes over the presidency from Pat Browne who has held the position for the last seven years. Phipps stated that the MTA WA had a great profile and had achieved a great deal for industry over its 81-year history but he was keen to place his own stamp on the role.
"There are too many in the industry that are happy to sit on the sideline and complain about the industry. It’s simple to do that and I made the decision that if you're not happy with what’s happening then you need to get involved. To commit to work with industry and stakeholders and work for the betterment of the whole industry," Phipps said.
Phipps has been the chair of the WA Body Repair Division, chair of AMBRA, a long term member of the WA Motor Vehicle Board and has been a director on the MTA Board for seven years. Phipps has also been the chair of the Car Craft group for several years and has been pivotal in establishing Car Craft as the largest body repair group in Australia.
Phipps is hoping that he can encourage more in the industry to get involved. "Industry associations such as the MTAs play a key role in improving the business environment for industry. A single automotive business has no ability to influence change and even sector committees can struggle, but when you are talking about an association that at a State level has 1760 business members and nationally 30,000, that gives us all influence," Phipps said.
Phipps considers his membership of the MTA as a key part of his business and he hopes that he can assist through his Presidency to build the membership further.
"Whatever happens, the tougher economic conditions in WA will certainly mean that the MTA will be there to support their members," he said.