The Overview

Background

Kia UK is an ambitious and successful automotive brand that is steadily climbing the rankings of car manufacturers represented in the UK. 

The company scooped the 2023 AM Manufacturer of the Year trophy for the second year running having hit its long-held 100,000 registrations target in 2022.

Consistent leadership and stable franchised relationships have been central to Kia’s “progressive and sustainable” growth in the UK, along with a raft of exciting model launches.

2024 has already been a great year with the Kia EV9 being named ‘Best Large Car’ at the 2024 Autocar Awards, following its introduction to the UK market at the start of the year.  

Paul Philpott, President & CEO of Kia UK, said: “The EV9 is an incredibly important car for Kia, taking us into the large SUV segment for the first time. It’s currently one of the only true all-electric options for large families, and we have seen a high level of interest from a range of customers, including those looking to take their first steps into electrification. We’re honoured to receive this award from Autocar, and it will help our UK dealer network further support and inspire customers on their electrification journey.”

 

The Brief

What the Client Asked For

The Leadership Development Programme’s stated purpose is to provide nominated individuals with a process of development, building the skills needed to run a dealership effectively to the high standards required by Kia UK and demanded by a rapidly developing marketplace. The programme is very comprehensive helping to develop critical skills in financial management, sales, customer service, team and people management. The programme is highly focused with action plans and projects to take the learning back to the dealership after each session. 

The Solution

What We Delivered

Primeast brought an in-depth knowledge of automotive retailing and multi-sector experience enabling development of an innovative programme accurately focused on the needs of Kia UK and their dealers.

Each Leadership Development Programme is delivered over 15 months providing a unique Kia UK focused journey of increasing challenge as the course progresses.

Phase one covers management and leadership basics using Primeast ‘trademark’ methodologies such as interactive workshops with monitored action plans to transfer from classroom to workplace performance.

Phase two uses the same methods to challenge participants at a higher level, with a focus on how managers can enable their teams to deliver high performance during constant, often disruptive change within the sector.

Kia UK leadership, from President and CEO, Paul Philpott, to operational directors engage with participants and the programme.  Those who meet the required completion standards graduate with certificates from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) – confirming industry-wide recognition of a high-quality initiative in management and leadership development.

The programme design continues to evolve to meeting changing needs in the sector and in response to demands of changing consumers. Some of these developments have included content around building inclusive cultures and supporting the creation of learning cultures through learning bulletins and learning nudges.

Impact of Learning

Successful Outcomes of the Programme

95%

equivalent netpromoter score

98%

improved professional outcomes

94%

more productive relationships with colleagues

84%

confident about applying what I learned to my work

The Results

What We Achieved

Assessment of growing management capability amongst participants is achieved by the targeting and subsequent measure of KPIs within each participating business.

Measures are chosen to reflect the developing ability of participants to gain enhanced performance from their team members and typically show substantial improvement in departmental profitability and customer satisfaction. From the outset these results have been impressive and consequently in 2024 the programme entered its eleventh year.

Participants received developmental coaching alongside the modules to apply their learning to specific business improvement projects, all of which delivered excellent results and ensured the learning was taken back into the workplace. Some highlight, including overall impact are highlighted below:

  • Succession: 50% of one cohort was promoted as a result of their improved performance​​
  • Customer satisfaction: one participant increased their dealership’s netpromoter score from 91.5 to 97.8 showing real impact on customer satisfaction.​ Another participant increased their netpromoter score on Test Drives from 67 to 96.
  • Profitability: one participant demonstrated a 17% increase in profitability per unit sold in a 6 month period as a result of their project