A Mandurah woman made Australian history in Melbourne on Friday, when she attended a national board meeting that had previously been addressed solely by men.
Peel Tyre Service co-owner Robyn Cook was the first woman to attend the National Australian Tyre Dealers Association meeting after she was asked by Motor Trades Association of WA to represent the state.
Mrs Cook would attend the board meetings three times a year from now on, articulating the problems and challenges in the WA tyre industry and take part in voting and decisions that could be used to lobby parliament.
Mrs Cook was the first woman to open a tyre store in Western Australia, called Tyreright Mandurah which she owned for five-years and sold one-year ago.
Having worked in the business for 21 years, Mrs Cook said she was at the right time in her career to transcend to the corporate world.
“I felt so comfortable in that board room and I have always dreamed of working at a corporate level,” she said.
“This is the next stage of my career and I’m excited to move from retail to putting back in to the industry.
“It’s exciting and I know I can make a difference.”
Motor Trades Association of WA president Stephen Moir said Mrs Cook was an “obvious choice” for the role.
“Robyn’s been a long-term member of the association and is a real trailblazer,” he said.
“She has extraordinary entrepreneurial ability and is a business person in her own right, having owned and operated Tyreright Mandurah and being a director of Peel Tyre Service.
“She is passionate about the automotive industry and adds a new dimension to what has always been a male dominated area...that is really valuable.”
Mrs Cook said she wanted to inspire other women to work in the tyre industry.
“I want to inspire women from all over Australia, to join the automotive industry,” she said.
Mrs Cook said there was more diversity in recent years, but there was room for improvement.
She said Peel Tyre Service would be hosting their first female work experience student this month, from Halls Head Education Support Centre.
“It’s great...she will get experience working in the workshop doing basic duties,” Mrs Cook said.
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
