The IMI Dinner 2022

Esther has worked in the Automotive Industry for over 25 years. She started her career at Ricardo Consulting Engineers as part of their graduate scheme, after completing her degree in Engineering Acoustics and Vibration.

Whilst at Ricardo, she worked on project teams delivering automotive engineering consultancy work on a wide variety of vehicle projects. She then moved to Jaguar Land Rover and worked in Vehicle Refinement while also completing a PhD in Structural Dynamics. During the last five years at Jaguar Land Rover, Esther was the Hybrid vehicle manager responsible for delivering all vehicle engineering work within the hybrid team.

Esther is currently the Central Engineering Director for Aggreko, leading the engineering development of their power generation, storage and temperature control products.

A portfolio mechanic, Hayley Pells has operated within the automotive aftermarket since 2007 upon leaving the Royal Air Force. Starting with an administrative role, this expanded to management of the family firm, which she later became the sole owner of. Qualifying as a light vehicle technician with the IMI reinforced Hayley's acceptance within the industry, leading to further qualifications such as MOT Testing, High Voltage Systems and Air Conditioning Systems.

Hayley became an established writer within the sector, initially with business-specific magazines, developing to mainstream media.  Hayley's ‘lift as you climb’ philosophy created a highly successful apprenticeship programme which is instrumental in the workshop's recognition and achievement of numerous notable awards.

Hayley balances the work with her passion for enabling others to enjoy a successful career in automotive. She is actively involved with youth and diversity projects that create pathways to the sector.

Jim Saker is President of the Institute of the Motor Industry and a long-standing Professor of Retail Management at Loughborough University. He co-founded the MIRA Business Unit in 1992 and then formed the Centre for Automotive Management five years later.

Jim launched the world’s first degrees in Retail Automotive Management offered to all manufacturers and groups, both nationally and internationally.

Jim and IMI’s COO Lesley Woolley, are currently leading the IMI’s Diversity Taskforce, which is a campaign to diversify the automotive sector.