It's back to Devonshire for 'star of the future' Phil

Devonshire Motors has welcomed back former Workshop Controller Phil Wells as its new After Sales Manager.

The 33-year-old originally started in the Barnstaple-based Mitsubishi dealership in 2010. For family reasons, he moved to a BMW dealership 18 months ago but was wooed back earlier this month by Devonshire’s Dealer Principal, Nathan Tomlinson.

As After Sales Manager, Phil is responsible for what is arguably one of the busiest and most after sales-focused dealerships in the Mitsubishi network.

‘It feels very good to be back here,’ he said. ‘It’s nice to come back where you know the people. From day one I was up and running, I didn’t have to worry about people’s names and I knew their roles and strengths, which really helped settle me in and removed some of the usual break-in challenges.’

As one of Mitsubishi’s elite group of five-star dealers – a prestigious accolade based on customer feedback – Devonshire Motors, in Braunton Road, has an enviable reputation, and Phil said that coming back emphasised how good Devonshire and Mitsubishi were to work for.

‘I appreciate Nathan’s values and the way he does things, the way he runs the business. That was a big incentive to come back. And I’m here to stay!

‘I’ll be making sure we get the maximum efficiency out of the workshop, that customers are looked after to the highest standard, and making sure both the Service and Parts departments are profitable. It’s a challenge that I’m very much up for. It’s going to be interesting, with lots to learn. Making a positive impact is my aim.

‘It’s a career progression as well. I knew Nathan would be able to nurture me and take me through the processes of learning how to do this job properly.’

Phil began his career in the automotive industry when he was 16, undertaking a three-year apprenticeship and becoming a BMW Master Technician. He then worked at a number of BMW and Porsche dealerships before relocating to north Devon.

He said he was looking forward to getting into departmental analysis and seeing where things can be changed to boost revenue and increase profit, as well as absorbing all the data that drive the financials and the processes that allow the dealership to achieve top customer satisfaction.

Outside of work, Phil, who is married and has three daughters – Leah, 7, Zarah, 5, and newborn Rosa at nine weeks – is a regular attendee at Grosvenor Church in Barnstaple. Being in north Devon, he also enjoys taking part in watersports such as surfing, water-skiing, kneeboarding and wakeboarding – basically, anything that involves being pulled around by a boat! – as well as following Formula 1, touring cars and driving sports.

Nathan said: ‘We’re delighted to have tempted Phil away from BMW to join our growing business and he couldn’t have joined at a better or busier time.

‘It’s an old recruitment adage that you hire on attitude and train on skills, and Phil is that rare combination of both the right attitude and the full set of skills. He is destined to be a real star of the future and I am really looking forward to watch him develop our After Sales business as he gains experience and knowledge with the brand.’