As the Business Manager of a substantial Prestige Vehicle Panel shop, Julie Numanoglu is as excited about her surroundings as a teenager in a Louis Vuitton store. – Well, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration but after spending some time chatting to Julie, its plain to see that she really does have a genuine passion and dedicated interest in the business she has helped shape. WinA asked Julie a few questions about how she came to be in the automotive business:

​

My dad, Alan, started Brighton Panel Works in Nepean Highway in 1964, so I really have grown up in the business. Since studying Business at Chisholm and graduating in Marketing, I’ve had my own successful retail business but it wasn’t until well after the birth of my third son and after taking time-off that I took on the full time role of Business Manager at BPW, which I love.

​

I love the challenge of overcoming old school ideas and I find it exciting to be continually finding new ways to improve business practices. There is always so much that can be changed for the better and I am constantly inspired. 

​

I've always found the automotive industry interesting! There is so much to achieve, so many things to do and learn. I would definitely recommend it as a career sector. We have five women who work here in the office and we have just employed our first female Spray Painting assistant, which is an exciting move for us.

​

I’m really pleased the WinA network is growing and I am looking forward to finding out more about other inspiring women in automotive. As much as I would like to find out more about topics like marketing, better business practice and insurance, I’m also looking for fun ideas – travel, fashion and lifestyle stories as well. Balancing a home life with a business professional career is always a challenge and I’m really interested to find out more about how other women in automotive businesses manage this challenge.