Teamwork pays off selling cars, and ex-rugby coach Darren Pugsley should know.
He is operations manager at Volvo Cars Cardiff and leads a team which is front of house to 120 people working in the executive car dealership on Penarth Road.
Although he graduated from university with a degree in geography and environmental management it was his part time weekend job in a dealership where he started by washing cars which he enjoyed.
He met his future wife, Emma, in the dealership and they both worked their way through the business, before he transferred to a franchise in London.
While in London, Darren spent his weekends playing rugby for a local team and then had a taste of rugby league as a coach and went with them into the super-league.
“Working with the team, the club and local councils taught me a lot,” said Darren. “I was given a set of challenges and learned how to get the best out of people to bring about a result.”
He added, “I have been able to apply the same thinking to the team in Volvo Cars Cardiff, to work on the strengths of every individual and ensure they work as a team to get a result.”
He returned to Cardiff recently and is thrilled at the prospect of new models coming from Volvo over the next few years. He also sees changes coming and not just with new cars.
“Volvo has declared its moving towards an all-electric future and working with partners to create a wider mobility service so the team element will be even more important if everyone’s to benefit.”
