Russell Phillips
Managing Director

Russell Phillips is New Zealand's most experienced automotive recruitment consultant. He has extensive key appointment, technical search, immigration, industrial legislation and psychological assessment expertise.

Holding recruitment industry qualifications with postgraduate education, Russell has completed an extensive range of human resource training modules.

Initially founding New Zealand's first automotive recruitment company, Russell owned and operated this company from 1991 and remains the owner/operator of an automotive recruitment company to this day. His contacts and knowledge of candidates and clients in the New Zealand motor industry are unsurpassed.

There are very few companies in the New Zealand motor industry who haven't utilised his company's services over this period.

To this day Russell works with his fully managed database of specialist industry experienced candidates. Over the period from 1991 he has been involved in motor industry recruitment, the teams he has lead have processed over 68,000 candidate applications and client listings.

Frontline Motor Industry recruitment is his passion. To provide a more personal touch and to enable direct interfacing with his clients, Russell now operates and will be further developing the "silver service" philosophy that is now Automotive Employment NZ Ltd.

In Russell's spare time he enjoys boating, fishing, camping, snow and water skiing, mountaineering, scuba diving, 4X4 recreational driving and the collection of rare and antique automotive memorabilia. In past years he has been competitive middle and long distance runner and NZ and South Pacific Latin American champion.

Kim Powell
Automotive Consultant

Kim Powell joins Automotive Employment NZ having emigrated from South Africa, the place she called home for 16 years. Prior to this Kim lived in the United Kingdom. Kim brings a strong motor industry recruitment background to our company, her recent experience since 1993 being in recruitment and training, most of which has been focused on the motor industry.

When in South Africa Kim owned her own recruitment consultancy with many divisions to its name, even given this point Kim was always personally drawn to the automotive division and with her families extended motor industry interests it is little wonder. Being an immediate past member of the Association of Personnel Organisations [SA], Kim is also qualified in this field.

In recent years New Zealand has had an increasing presence of new migrants that have joined the motor industry here in a variety of roles, Kim appointment reflects the desire of Automotive Employment NZ to be as well prepared as possible to assist those who have already moved here seeking employment and those yet to arrive. With an understanding of the South African, English and now New Zealand motor industries and the accompanying immigration knowledge forged from this experience, Kim will prove to possess some valuable knowledge.

In Kim's spare time she has strong interests in swimming sports, ice-skating, tramping/hiking, traveling and involving herself around the interests of her wider family.

Mike Perez
Automotive Consultant

Mike joins Automotive Employment NZ after serving 13 years in a wide variety of senior management positions within the New Zealand motor industry. Mike spent over 11 years with a major motor vehicle distributor as Dealer Support Manager, Service Operations Manager and National Service and Customer Relations Manager.

Mike has also held the Retail Excellence Manager and more recently was the National Sales Manager for the second largest motor vehicle distributor in New Zealand.

During his tenure with the first distributor, in addition to being responsible for all Service activities Mike specialised in many areas of consumer and motor vehicle legislation and maintained professional relationships with NZTA (LTSA, LTNZ), the Advertising Standards Authority and the Commerce Commission while also serving on the Motor Industry Association's (MIA) Product & Safety Committee for over 5 years; two of which he served as Vice Chairman. Mike has also represented the MIA on the Motor Industry Training Organisation's Board of Directors for over four years.

Mike's New Zealand motor industry experience comes on the heels of a long and distinguished career with the United States Air Force. After many years of flying and working as a Quality Management professional, Mike and his Kiwi wife, Linda decided to relocate from America to New Zealand in 1996.

With 13 years travelling New Zealand representing two major vehicle distributors and involvement to executive level with multiple industry authorities, candidates and clients alike will note Mike is better connected in the NZ motor industry than most; the benefit of this being self evident.

In his spare time Mike enjoys the odd golf outing (inside joke) and reading. He and Linda enjoy travel and working together to support her passion for interior design.

Vanessa is the Business Manager for Automotive Employment NZ Ltd. With a Bachelor of Business Studies degree majoring in marketing, coupled with 10 years experience running her own successful company in the relocations industry, she is well equipped to look after the day-to-day business management of the company.

True to the friendly down to earth culture of Automotive Employment NZ, clients are unlikely to find a more helpful person to deal with. Her quick-witted sense of humour and infectious personality adds greatly to the lighthearted environment that is Automotive Employment NZ.

In Vanessa's spare time she enjoys the gym, boating, mountaineering, fishing, camping and language studies.