bodyshop Live! 2019 goes out with a bang!
bodyshop magazine celebrated the best and brightest in the collision repair industry on Friday evening with a glamorous end-of-conference awards dinner at bodyshop Live! 2019 – the most respected and prestigious expo and prize-giving event in the sector.
After months of debate and jury deliberation, 19 independent awards were handed out to individuals and organisations from across the entire collision repair industry, including apprentices and senior technicians, assessors, insurers, customer service providers, educators, and bodyshops both large and small (see below for the full list of winners).
Two special awards were also presented on Friday to applaud an individual and a group of individuals who have performed above and beyond this year.
The first award, for Outstanding Achievement, was presented to one of the true gentlemen of the collision repair industry – Darren Bedford of Covea – who won this award with a unanimous vote by the jury after his hard work to embrace and drive change in the insurance sector when it comes to the repair of new technologies in modern cars.
While the Special Recognition Award went to Mick Whitehead’s leadership team at M+M Fix Auto Stoke-on-Trent – namely Angela Henry, David Willett, Adrian Leese and Tony Birchall – a group who have faced many challenges in the past couple of years but through their passion, hard work and determination have maintained a wonderful bodyshop operation.
The host for this year’s bodyshop Live! Awards Dinner was Andy Collins – the warm-up man for Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s Got Talent and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – whose quick-witted, off-the-cuff comedic style kept the audience in stitches.
Powered by Vizion – bodyshop Remit Apprentice & Technician Awards 2019
- Apprentice Paint Technician of the Year – Kyle Bailey from GP Motors
- Apprentice Panel Technician of the Year – James Bullass from Nationwide JCC
- Apprentice MET Technician of the Year – James Barnard of Apollo Motor Group
- Paint Technician of the Year – Will Callaghan from Nationwide Crash Repairs
- Panel Technician of the Year – Derek Nesbit from Solus ARC Cumbernauld
- MET Technician of the Year – Sean Spinks from MG Cannon Westbury
bodyshop Live! 2019 Awards
- Educator of the Year – NPTC Group of Colleges
- Claims Service Provider of the Year – Solus Accident Repair Centres
- Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year – Volkswagen Group
- Customer Experience Award – CAPS
- Technology and Innovation Award – ITAS Capture
- Best Specialist Bodyshop – M&A Coachworks
- Best MSO Bodyshop – MG Cannon
- Best Independent Bodyshop – Fix Auto Dagenham
- Best New Bodyshop – Colourcube Automotive
- Bodyshop Manager of the Year – Scott Dunnell from Fix Auto Dagenham
- Outstanding Achievement Award – Darren Bedford from Covea
- Special Recognition Award – Angela Henry, David Willett, Adrian Leese and Tony Birchall from M+M Fix Auto Stoke-on-Trent
IAEA Award
- VDA of the Year – Russell Taylor from Pentagon Ford
bodyshop magazine is grateful to the bodyshop Live! 2019 sponsors for helping to make the event such a triumph this year. Our special thanks go to headline partners Axalta, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Solera Audatex and Vizion Network; solus partners CAPS, Car-O-Liner, IAEA, NIBS Group and Remit Group; and expo partners Eclipse, EMACS, Enviology, FLP, GYS, LKQ Coatings, OEC Connection, Outsorc, Symach, Thatcham Research, Toyota First and Tractable.
