50 February 2018 www.bahrainthismonth.com motoring versed with the motoring world and now brings his expertise to Bahrain at Euro Motors (EM) as the general manager of the BMW Group (Rolls-Royce, BMW and Mini). Having worked with various brands like Volkswagen, Skoda and Porsche, David’s vast experience has predominantly been with BMW in the UK, where he first joined the company in the ‘80s, with an apprenticeship as a technician. After a short stint in financial services, he returned to the industry in the mid-‘90s with car sales and worked his way through different ranks, leading up to general manager. “Before coming to Bahrain, I was working in Volkswagen in Chester for Inchcape, one of its biggest sites in the UK,” he says. “I had new cars, used cars, and responsibilities for the Inchcape division of Bodyshop – so we looked after Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Jaguar and Land Rover Bodyshop. “I had initially looked at coming out to the Middle East 10 years ago. I toyed with the idea of seeing if the skills were transferable to another market. It’s different over here because, in the Middle East, it’s what’s called an ‘importer market’, so working for Euro Motors, we’re the sole importer of BMW, RollsRoyce, Jaguar, Ferrari and Maserati in the Kingdom. But in the UK, you work for a national sales company, which is BMW UK, so while it’s selling cars, it’s just a very different structure.” David also has general manager responsibilities for Ferrari and Maserati. Additionally, he looks after the EM Bodyshop and EM outlet site, as well as BMW bikes, and is accountable for delivering agreed financial budgets for both EM and the brand partners. He’s certainly had his hands full since he arrived but seems to enjoy the rush of it, saying: “One of the exciting things about coming here was to deliver the Ferrari-Maserati dealership because that was halfway through when I got here in August, so with the support of the team we delivered that on plan and within budget.” With major plans up his sleeve, David is particularly enthusiastic about a couple of new ideas, one of which is the outlet business, which will bring a APPLE SHARMA With a passion for all things automotive, David McGoldrick is a self-proclaimed petrol-head. He chats about his new role at one of the biggest car dealerships in the Kingdom and about the future of the industry. Talking Motors David’s passion for motors started at a young age, when he used to play on the floor with his cars. His father, who worked closely with the industry and later owned a workshop and taxi business, played a big role in igniting his interest. “Dad was always tinkering with cars; he was from a technical, mechanical sort of background,” he reminisces. “In the summer holidays, when other children were out, I was in the garage changing wheels, covered in oil.” A native of Liverpool, UK, home to some of the world’s leading automotive brands, David is very well David McGoldrick Hybrid cars are the future
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