2:21 pm, February 27, 2023
South coast-based dealer group Hendy has celebrated its top employees at a special gala evening.
The Bournemouth International Centre was the backdrop to the 2022 Hendy Group awards with TV and radio presenter Colin Murray acting as host.
Around 1,300 colleagues were in attendance where 11 gongs were presented on the night.
Awards were presented to colleagues from across the business which represents more than 20 franchises and employs more than 1,600 people in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Devon.
Group used car sales buyer Mark Sanger and Hendy Truck administration manager Pauline Allen were both inducted into the Hendy Hall of Fame.
Chief executive Paul Hendy said that Mark was a company and industry stalwart, and he paid tribute to the 25 years’ service Pauline has given the truck division.
Other awards included Team of the Year which was scooped by Hendy’s Jaguar Land Rover sales tea, while Site of the Year went to Iveco School Lane.
Individual winners included Tom Lange from Jaguar Land Rover Southampton who was named Aftersales Colleague of the Year and Nick Mead from Hendy Nissan Bournemouth who was named Sales Colleague of the Year.
Sales manager of the year was Richard Walker from Hendy Ford Tunbridge Wells and Laura Shipley was named Support Function Colleague of the Year.
There was a Hero of the Year award for Hendy Performance technician Rob Procter after he cycled from Canada to Mexico with no support crew in aid of Hendy Foundation.
Paul Hendy – who will be a star speaker at next week’s Car Dealer Live conference – told the gala night attendees of his pride at his employees’ contributions, and that 2022 had been a milestone year with the firm turning over £1bn.
‘Covid meant the toughest trading conditions since the Second World War but we knuckled down and showed resilience,” he said. ‘Tonight is about recognition for the jobs you do and 2023 is going to be our biggest year no question.’
Also speaking at the awards, Hendy chairman Simon Gulliford said: ‘It’s down to the people who make the big difference,’ he said.
‘We are now seeing the sixth generation of the Hendy family and the company is six times larger than when I joined in 2014.’
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Pictured: Hall of Fame award left to right Simon Gulliford, Kevin Brockbank from Santander, Mark Sanger, Paul Hendy and Colin Murray
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