Paul Butler has led the North East Automotive Alliance since 2015, and has been instrument in its development into one of the largest clusters of its kind in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ.
What was your first job (and how much did it pay)? My first job, when leaving sixth form, was as a management trainee with the Cooperative Retail Services, with an annual salary of around £9,000. I remember that I got paid weekly in a brown envelope. I worked across multiple sites across Yorkshire and earned more money through mileage than I did through salary. Back then we could claim 45p per mile and the rate is still the same today despite a significant increase in running costs of vehicles.
What is the best advice or support you’ve been given in business? There are a couple of people who have been really inspirational to me. Both are driven by their desire to make a difference to peoples’ lives and seeing the impact they have had in helping create opportunities for people is one of my main motivating factors and why I love working for the NEAA. However, the best support I’ve been given was the opportunity to undertake an Executive MBA at Durham University. Quite simply, without that I would not be in this position, and I’d recommend the Executive MBA to anyone.
What are the main changes you’ve seen in your business/sector, and what are the challenges you’re facing? Since the launch of the NEAA the automotive sector has faced numerous challenges including ‘dieselgate’, Brexit, the global mega trend of electrification, the Covid pandemic, connected and autonomous mobility, semi-conductor shortage and other supply chain and logistic constraints. It’s fair to say it’s been a very challenging period for the sector. Going forward, the transition to zero emission motoring will continue to be challenging, but these provide opportunities and the North East is well placed to capitalise of them.
What would your dream job be? If I wasn’t doing this role I’d say some form of professional athlete, perhaps a professional golfer on the tour – I love sport (training and competing) and have competed at club, county and national levels in a wide variety of sports.
What advice would you give to someone starting out a career in your sector? Seize your opportunities! The automotive sector operates on a global scale and can offer some fantastic opportunities that will not only benefit your career but also improve you as a human being. Experiencing different cultures can only increase our knowledge and understanding of people - a great quote I heard once is ‘The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people’.
What makes the North East a good place to do business? I moved to the North East in 2001, moving back to my grandparent’s roots and, whilst the region is relatively small compared to other º£½ÇÊÓƵ regions, it is also one of the key strengths. There’s a level of familiarity that does not exist in other regions and when mixed with our ‘can do’ attitude, it creates a comparative advantage – its why the North East is the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s leading region for clusters.
How important is it for business to play a role in society? There’s an ever-increasing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) within business. ESG factors not only help attract investors and our workforce but they are increasingly helpful in reducing risk, lowering costs, improving reputation and attracting new customers.
The social aspect of EGS demonstrated focuses on how a business impacts wider society and workplace culture. The move to electric vehicles is widely recognised as one way the automotive sector is benefitting wider society thanks to removing tail pipe emissions. However, there’s a huge drive to reduce emissions in all aspects of the manufacturing process too. Companies across the sector are helping improve fairness in society, creating equal opportunities and better, more inclusive, conditions for employees.
Outside of work, what are you really good at? My family time is vitally important to me. I loved spending time with my wife, two children and dog. Other than that, I’m also a keen golfer, handicap 5.1, and will become the club captain next year at South Moor Golf Club, where I’ve been a member for 21 years. My time golfing is my downtime, it affords me an opportunity to recharge and concentrate on being present, something that is increasingly difficult in today’s society.
Who would play you in a film about your life? I doubt it would make a very compelling film, but someone like Sean Bean – with his strong, monotone, Yorkshire accent.
Which three people would you invite to a dinner party and why? I’m fascinated by people’s life journey, so my three people would be: Barack Obama, again, linked to his journey to becoming the 44th President of the United States and first African-American President; Steve Peters - an English psychiatrist who is best known for his work with British Cycling and author of the Chimp Paradox; and Lydia Ko – the youngest player of either gender to be ranked No. 1 in professional golf and recently won the gold medal in women's golf at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics – qualifying her for the LPGA Hall of Fame, the youngest inductee.
