Mark Awramenko was born in Geelong, and grew up in Lara. His father George and uncle Val worked as motor mechanics at Heath Motors Geelong. George later owned and ran workshops and retailed cars periodically until buying the Golden Fleece service station in Highton in 1975. Mark attended secondary school at St Joseph’s College, Newtown, and began an apprenticeship with his father at 16. In 1991, Mark approached George to buy Highton Automotive, which later became part of the Repco Repairer group. Mark became VACC President in November 2020.
Why did you join the automotive industry?
I was handy as a kid and by the time I turned sixteen in Year 11, I knew I was not going to go on to complete the Victorian Certificate of Education. I tried to get a job, but I went to a Catholic boys college in Geelong and quickly realised that the boys from tech school had an advantage over me in applying for jobs. My father took pity on me and employed me, so I slid into the automotive industry – there wasn’t a lot of thought.
What changes have you seen over the years?
Technology is the largest change without doubt. Back in the day, when I started, it was all points and spark plugs; the knowledge that was needed could be kept in one’s head. By the time I finished my apprenticeship I could complete most jobs, from rebuilding an engine to a gearbox and diff, and tuning the whole show. These days, that’s not possible. We have gone from having the available knowledge in-house to now needing to access that information. That’s the shift. It is not that one has to know how to repair every vehicle, it is knowing where to get the information to repair every vehicle.
What do you see as the threats to the auto industry?
The threats that I see will come from large, organised, well-funded and powerful companies or organisations, and they remove competition and consumer choice. An analogy would be what happened in the fuel industry. I was involved in the fuel industry before I began working with my father. It was the average corner, quarter-acre petrol station site. Now, they’re a thing of the past. When we were running fuel, we were Shell-branded but there was a corporate Shell station 500 metres down the road. We would receive our fuel at the Agreed Terminal Gate Price, plus freight, which invariably would be more than they were retailing for the same fuel down the road. So, my wholesale price was more than the retail price down the road. That could not go on very long. The ‘big versus small’ issue management has been a large part of VACC’s work representing auto businesses. Having politicians and consumer rights organisations understand these issues, and deal with laws that allow this to happen, has been a frustrating, slow, and tedious process that is nonetheless incredibly important work.
What was your journey from VACC member to VACC President?
I was invited to observe at committee level by Graham Harrison, a very good operator in Geelong who was a role model and mentor. He had a business called Rally Motors and he asked that I take his place. I went up the ladder to Chair, I was quite young and learned as I went. Peer discussion and learning was very important to me. From the Board of Management, I went to the Executive Board and finally became President. That journey has been interesting and it has certainly benefited my wider education in all things automotive, for which I am grateful. The value gained from peer interaction and being at the forefront and involved in industry change is important to me.
What does the VACC President do?
The VACC President is Chair of the Executive Board and Industry Policy Council. Amongst other responsibilities, the President is the figurehead of the Chamber and, alongside the CEO, attends functions and meetings of a political and industry nature in order to further VACC’s policy and advocacy objectives. Like the Executive Board, the President serves the whole of industry.
What is your vision for VACC?
I want this industry to remain buoyant and to survive into the future. We need to advise our members on trends, whether they be business model changes or technology changes – clearly we have electric vehicles on the horizon in a big way and that will change a lot of what we do. There are sales model changes, franchise issues... There’s a lot on the horizon which involves policy and advocacy. A lot of time needs to be spent guiding the government. We need to influence what big business does with our smaller member-businesses, and we need to be able to keep competition and consumer choice strong. We need Right to Repair, and there are insurance business code issues. As a peak industry body we need to focus on these and be on the ball and providing services and benefits to our members.
Governance at VACC has become a priority. What part are you playing as President to ensure VACC is well-run?
Governance at VACC, like at most organisations, has become a priority. As President it is also my responsibility to ensure the organisation complies with all current rules and regulations and, importantly, has a culture that is respectful to all staff and members. We need to ensure our organisation is run at a level that is better than acceptable for our times. We need to be cognisant of everything we do and say, and need to understand we should be an employer of choice and provide an atmosphere that encourages our employees and our members as well.
What is the role of the VACC Executive Board?
To guide the organisation. It is not about interfering in the day-to-day operations, or management. It is to effectively steer the organsiation and to provide guidance. We have tools to help us. We have our strategy weekend, we employ the skill sets available of our directors in the Executive Board and we run the business as it should be.
Advocacy and policy play an important part in VACC’s work. What are some of the big wins?
Advocacy and policy are key strengths of VACC’s service provision to members. We have recently had some real traction in the Right to Repair space. Other wins involve collective bargaining roles, changes to the Franchising Code of Conduct, efforts to address Unfair Contract Terms legislation, blocked parallel imports, and had fuel theft classified as a crime. However, we have had a blow with the recent victory by Mitsubishi for its 10-year capped price servicing program. This has ramifications for the future and I think other manufacturers will get on board with similar programs. It could duplicate what happened in the fuel industry, in regards to fair competition and potentially have a devastating impact on the industry and consumer choice. These are the highs and lows we follow. Franchise law, franchise issues, insurance issues. But the wins are important.
VACC has such strong brand recognition in the community. Why is that and do you think it is important to maintain?
Member-businesses use VACC for marketing and that brand credibility is all-important. Members leverage off the VACC sign and 100 years of credibility. It is a benefit to their business. That is very important.
VACC CEO, Geoff Gwilym has become the go-to person for automotive commentary. What do you put that down to?
It is well within Geoff’s skills set. He is focused on performance and outcomes and has a really good work ethic. He has an awesome rapport with politicians and really good contacts within the media. He can talk with authority to journalists about automotive industry issues and he makes himself available. Geoff does a good job. He communicates really well. Therefore, he comes across well on media outlets – whether that be television, radio, newspapers, or digital outlets. He is very succinct and drives the message home, and media outlets like that.
How did VACC perform during the COVID-19 situation?
VACC excelled during COVID. It was a time when we were really able to show why being a member is important. The member benefits we were able to deliver were excellent. There was lots of feedback – and you don’t often get feedback – about how well VACC delivered information regarding shutdowns, the ability to work, zoning regulations in metro and regional areas and more. I know there was lots of work done by the staff with regards to pertinent information, and it was done well. We invested in some advertising campaigns that were created by the VACC marketing department to promote our industry and get it back up and going. That was excellent and well received. Overall, it was a stellar effort by all concerned. All VACC staff should be congratulated. VACC performed exceptionally well during the COVID crisis, providing much needed advice and support to members, while also liaising with the Motor Trades Association of Australia CEO, Richard Dudley, to lobby the Federal Government to bring about positive outcomes for our industry.
What has been the main benefit you have received from VACC membership, and how do you plan to apply it during your time heading the VACC leadership team?
Take as much as possible and apply it to your own situation. I hope to lead the organisation forward for the next two years, not least with the exciting and profile-lifting move to our new building in Victoria Street, North Melbourne. We look forward to a new, modern and influential workplace which will be the face of VACC. What I would like to do as President is leave the Chamber and the industry in a better place. I want to do something positive.
As featured in the April 2021 issue of Australian Automotive.