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Celebrating International Women’s Day. We hear from Reagan…
To mark International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on remarkable women who play pivotal roles in the success of Sirus. Today we hear from Reagan Shepherd, Sales and Adaptations Team Leader.
Tell us about your role at Sirus
“I joined Sirus in 2020 as part of the adaptations team. Since then I have been promoted to vehicle sales and adaptations team leader, a role which I love. This involves supporting the sales team, dealing with customers to schedule work on their wheelchair accessible cars, supporting the engineers, and liaising with our production team to arrange vehicle handovers.
What do you love about your job?
Sirus is like a big family. I know that sounds cliché’ but everyone works as a team. Everyone has the same mindset and is very customer-focused. That is what I love about my job, everyone cares and it’s so rewarding to see our customers gain independence, whether that is through a simple car adaptation or a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
As a woman working in the car industry, have you faced any challenges? How did you navigate them?
When I first started in the industry back in 2014 I was an apprentice selling commercial vehicles, this was quite rare for a female at such a young age. Customers didn’t think I had the knowledge or experience to answer their questions and would often ask for a salesman. After I introduced myself and shared my knowledge of the product there were some very shocked customers. I was never offended, and we always had a giggle about it after.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #InspiringInclusion. What advice do you have for fostering inclusion within the industry?
Think outside the box. No two customers are the same, so we have to look at different options to suit that customer’s needs. You should never assume anything about an individual, and we make sure our teams are trained and educated to the highest level to ensure an excellent customer experience. We are a supporter of Purple Tuesday, a fantastic organisation that campaigns for improving the disabled customers experience”.
Who are your influential role models, and how have they impacted your life?
Kim Smith, a Sirus customer, is a huge role model for me. Her positivity and joy are infectious. Her videos showing her day-to-day life and how she’s adapted to life as a quadruple amputee gives us insight into the challenges she overcomes on a daily basis. She uses her experience to help raise awareness for a number of charities including UK SepsisTrust and AccessAble. She is truly inspiring”.
You can follow Kim and her journey so far on her social media.