Gwilym appointed interim MTAA chief executive

The Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) board has appointed Geoff Gwilym as its interim chief executive.

“After chief executive Richard Dudley’s retirement in December 2022, the MTAA board sought a high-level candidate to guide the association. That search remains ongoing,” MTAA chair, Frank Agostino says.

“In the meantime, the MTAA board approached Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC) chief executive Geoff Gwilym and requested he act as MTAA chief executive in the interim period. This arrangement is in effect indefinitely.”

Gwilym has headed VACC since December 2014 and brings with him a wealth of industry experience.

He began his career in the automotive industry in the UK as an apprentice body maker, at age 15 in 1975. He came to Australia 10 years later and continued to work in the automotive industry, before joining the TAFE system as a teacher.

His first stint at VACC followed, where Gwilym ran the group apprenticeship scheme for three years. After that, he led the learning and development program at the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.

In the 10 years before returning to VACC, Gwilym ran the Transport Logistics Skills Council, and then Auto Skills Australia.

Gwilym has a master’s degree in education and leadership, and has wide-ranging media experience having regularly appeared on TV, radio, trade and mass media. He is a well-known influencer in the automotive industry, having a weekly column in the Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper and is co-host of The Grille podcast, alongside Greg Rust and Shane Jacobson.

“On behalf of my fellow MTAA directors, and the MTA chief executives across Australia with whom he will work closely, I welcome Mr Gwilym to the role and wish him every success,” Agostino says.