7:04 am, July 3, 2025
Former Lookers director Nigel McMinn has snapped up a majority shareholding in automotive recruitment company Pybus.
Assuming the role of managing director, McMinn will lead the specialist recruitment firm as it helps dealers find top quality staff.
McMinn told Car Dealer he was ‘excited’ by the new role and ‘wasn’t very good at sitting still’ which led him to buy into the Sunderland-based business alongside the founder Colin Pybus.
McMinn spent six years at Lookers as chief operating officer and managing director of the motor division between 2013 and 2020. Before that he worked at Benfield Motor Group as chief executive.
McMinn and Pybus worked together at both Lookers and Benfield.
‘Throughout my 30-year career in automotive, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most talented individuals in the industry – I’ve also seen the critical role that recruitment plays in shaping high-performing teams,’ explained McMinn.
‘Pybus Recruitment already has a strong foundation and reputation, and I’m excited to build on that by enhancing our offering and becoming the go-to recruitment partner for automotive businesses across the UK.’
Pybus works with a variety of dealers, from PLCs to family-run dealerships, and was launched in July 2021.
Colin Pybus, who will remain involved in the business, added: ‘We’ve already established Pybus Recruitment as a leading specialist automotive recruitment company.
‘With Nigel’s connections, I’m confident we will continue to attract top talent in the UK automotive sector.’
McMinn left Lookers alongside CEO Andy Bruce in November 2019 after a troubled period for the dealer group. It came after it issued a profit warning and revealed an investigation by the FCA into consumer credit regulation compliance.
That long running investigation was eventually closed by the FCA in March 2021 and no sanctions were imposed on the dealer group.
