Carl Bizon, former CEO of AMA Group, used the company’s Annual General Meeting, which was his last day in office, to reflect on the achievements of FY2023.
Bizon began by referencing repricing negotiations with insurers, which he described as “uncomfortable” but fundamental to the viability of the business.
“During this process, we moved away from unprofitable work across our AMA Collision portfolio. While this resulted in some short- to medium-term repair volume disruption, in recent months some insurers who we had not been able to reach agreement previously have begun to re-engage with us, this time on better pricing terms,” said Bizon.
“While many insurer contracts still do not have dynamic adjustment mechanisms to deal with external pressures such as inflation or increasing repair severity, we now have established relationships and a new cadence for engagement to continue to progress this work.”
Bizon said the company continues to focus on attracting, retaining, and training staff, citing its Take the LEAD health, safety and environment programme; frontline leaders training; I-CAR training; and apprenticeship programme, which closed the year with 373 apprentices across the network.
Additionally, Bizon highlighted infrastructure achievements, such as ACM Parts’ new Brisbane warehouse, the transformation of the previous warehouse into an ACM Collision site, and the relocation of the South Australian All Transport team to the new Wales-branded facility.
Bizon also reflected on the company’s achievements during his time as CEO, citing the resetting of the base business, establishment of a new leadership team, improved governance, substantially improved safety across the business, and the development of an “industry-leading” apprenticeship programme.
AMA also substantially improved team member satisfaction and engagement, restored profitability following the substantial impact of the COVID-19 era with a more than $40 million increase in normalised post-AASB-16 EBITDA from FY2022 to FY2023, and turned the company’s focus to growth and innovation.
“In closing, I would like to thank the board, the AMA Group team who are at the heart of everything we do, our insurer, fleet and other partners, our end customers, and our shareholders for their ongoing support,” he said.
“It has been a privilege to serve as the CEO of this business. It has been a challenging, but also rewarding experience. I am exceptionally proud of everything that has been achieved, and I look forward to seeing the company evolve into its next phase under new leadership.”