Richard Dudley To Step Down As MTAA CEO

Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA) CEO Richard Dudley is stepping down from his post to explore new opportunities. Dudley said that after 12 years of advocacy and representation with six prime ministers, five Australian parliaments, and hundreds of public servants, advisers, and industry participants, the time is right for organisation renewal as the MTAA prepares for the next phase of its journey.

“My time as MTAA CEO has been a wild ride, but one that is ultimately deeply satisfying knowing that the MTAA and its members and their bounty of enormously talented, knowledgeable, and committed boards, executive and staff have made a real difference to the 74,000-plus automotive businesses employing almost 380,000 Australians,” said Dudley.

“Researching and authoring more than 70 significant submissions, appearing at dozens of departmental, parliamentary, government, and industry inquiries, investigations and gatherings, and the enormous work surrounding the pandemic are hallmarks of the outcomes achieved for member associations and their thousands of automotive business constituents.”

Dudley said he is “immensely proud” of the suite of policies, laws, regulations, tools and penalty regime outcomes the MTAA achieved to assist small automotive businesses compete on a more even playing field.

He listed three achievements he described as critical:

  • Reforms to Australian Consumer Law and the Competition and Consumer Act, including vast improvements to the Franchising Code of Conduct and its provisions. This includes a new and meaningful penalty regime, improved recognition of disclosure, transparency and goodwill, and the addition of a specific schedule for new car dealer franchisees.
  • The collaboration and work to bring into effect a law, regulations, rules, and penalties to mandate the provision of motor vehicle service and repair information to professional and qualified technicians – a world-first
  • Australia’s peak automotive organisations now work more cohesively and cooperatively in an alliance that has produced shared positions on transitioning the Australian vehicle fleet and a joint submission to the National EV Strategy consultation.

According to Dudley, the federation and its members are well-positioned to meet the challenges that will impact transport and mobility over the next decade.

“I thank the MTAA Board, particularly Chairman Neville Gibb, member association CEOs, their simply outstanding staff past and present, and the wider automotive family for the honour and privilege of working for them, and I look forward to crossing paths in the next stage of my career, he added.

The Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC) commended Dudley for his dedication to the industry.

“VACC sends its sincere thanks to Richard Dudley as he steps down from his role as CEO at the Motor Trades Association of Australia,” said VACC CEO Geoff Gwilym.

“Richard has worked arduously to achieve many great outcomes for the automotive industry and these achievements are acknowledged and respected.”