11 August 2025
“I’m only as good as the people in my team.”
— Chris Payne, Head of DL Auto Services
With 23 sites and over 1,600 employees under his leadership, Chris Payne knows a thing or two about building high-performing teams. But for him, success isn’t just about numbers — it’s about people. We sat down with Chris to hear how he’s shaping the future of DL Auto Services through mentorship, diversity, and a relentless focus on customer care.
A Role with Real ImpactChris, tell us a bit more about your role and the parts of the business that you lead.
In my role, I am fully responsible for the entire profit and loss of the Auto Services business. It’s a massive task, and I firmly believe every single person has a part to play in our success.
Most importantly, in Auto Services our job is to make sure our customers are fully cared for in the event of them being involved in a car accident and repairing their vehicle back to pre-accident condition with the greatest of ease and speed. If we do that well, everything else will follow.
What excites you about the role?
This is my second stint at DL. I was here for nearly 20 years covering roles in Network Engineering and Supply Chain, but I moved to LV insurance in 2017 to broaden my experience.
When I was given the chance to come back to run DL Auto Services, it felt hugely exciting. I think it’s about the size of the opportunity we have here and what we can achieve – for our people, our customers and our business.
What are the biggest challenges you face?
The motor repair industry is a challenging but rewarding industry. Currently, there’s a lack of skilled technicians and experienced management personnel – so that’s creating a skills gap. We need to do more to bridge that gap with new apprentice technicians and succession plans to fill the lack of skills in management roles.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned?
I’m firm believer that I am only as good as the people in my team. So, I always make sure that I’m investing in them and providing them with the tools, training and support they need to carry out their role with flexibility and freedom. For me, this is crucial for success.
Defining Success — Personally and ProfessionallyWhat’s been the highlight of your career so far?
As you can probably tell, I’m very passionate about people and spend a lot of my time helping others. In my own time, I’m a mentor for college students, while at work I strive to improve diversity and I’m proud to say that as part of this we’ve successfully increased the population of females working in a very male-dominated Engineering team from under 5% to over 30% in less than 2 years. This is something I am very proud about and I’ve gained industry recognition for.
How do you define success?
Success is different for everyone. In work, I am hugely competitive and driven by getting out of my comfort zone and delivering on objectives and challenges that are stretching. However, as I’ve said people are my real priority, and mentoring and supporting people to grow in confidence in their role gives me great satisfaction. Most importantly, though, success is being the best Dad I can be to my two daughters. Watching them grow to be more successful than me is the best outcome I could ever ask for.
What advice would you give to someone starting their career?
Take in as much advice as possible, speak to as many industry professionals as you can. Network, connect and communicate with the people who have been successful in the career you want to succeed in.
Lastly, if there’s one thing you’d want people to know about Direct Line, what would it be?
It’s the people. Everyone is passionate, caring and supportive, and a joy to work with.
🚗 Want to start a career in Auto Services?
Explore our latest vacancies and discover how you can grow with us: https://directlinegroupcareers.com/our-teams/auto-services/
