Auto Remarketing is recognizing the 2021 Women in Remarketing honorees in the March issue of the magazine, and will be posting Q&As with each of these outstanding leaders on the website.

Next up is Chipo Taylor, who is regional controller – Southwest at XLerate Group.

Auto Remarketing: What do you enjoy most about working in the remarketing industry? But, also, what aspect(s) of the business would you change — and how?

Chipo Taylor: I enjoy the client, customers, employees, and my counterparts. I enjoy everyone I interact with every day. This industry is so dynamic and amazing with the vast different cultures and personalities that all come together to push this industry forward. The people I work with (employee or not) make every day different and I look forward to taking on each days challenges and successes.

I have been in this industry almost 21 years and I still run into people that are shock that I (being a black woman) am so involved and understand what is going on in this industry.  It encourages me even more that when we are done conversing, the person I am speaking to is very impressed and has learned something also.  I would love to have a national networking place that all Women in Remarketing could go to at any level.  And if there is one already, I would heavily use it to educate and mentor young ladies early on in their career.

AR: What are some improvements that need to be made in the industry from a diversity and inclusion perspective? What are some examples you’ve seen of D&I programs that have worked?

CT: Mentoring for a lot of us in the industry is key. I have always been an aggressive “go-getter” but guidance through my mentorship is what pushed me thru to the next level.

AR: Describe a time when you were either a mentor or a mentee, and how that has shaped your career.

CT: I have several awesome mentee stories, but there was one mentor that really helped me make some major decisions in my career.

It was through a mentorship program with one of my companies; however, the mentors were volunteer executives from other companies.  This person ONLY mentored me for one year but, the advice and guidance he gave me was contrary to any other advice that I had ever gotten before.

From the first meeting, he expressed the brilliance that he saw in me and that with that he decided not to mentor me professionally, but on life, in general. 

This was ideal for me because he was the first to really impress upon me the value to work/like balance and really mean it by the way he had lived his life.  To this day, I still feel really close to him, especially when the challenge of work/life balance arises.  By the way, after our first meeting, we never physically met again because I lived in Dallas and he lived in Atlanta.

AR: Describe a time in your career where you were challenged and how you overcame that challenge.

CT: I had been working with a company for 12 years, from my first day out of college to this point.  I had interviewed for a few promotions in other states but with the same company and was always the “second pick.” I had a conversation with my controller about this auction company reaching out to me for the same role I had been interviewing in-house with.

He and I discussed pros and cons, and ultimately, we both agreed it was the best decision for me and my career to go for it.  He would always tell me that my time was next and that he appreciated how humble I was, because he would say, “Chipo you know more than me.” 

I am a very dedicated and loyal person, especially working with and in the environment I had been for so long.  I can honestly say that when I got the controller position, it was the most challenging thing to accept because of the professional family I made with this company.  But it was the best thing I could have ever done.

AR: What is the top trend/storyline in the remarketing industry that you’re watching this year?

CT: I think the most interesting story lately for me has been the transition from physical to digital platforms in 2020.  This has been a topic of discussion and planning for some time now.  It’s amazing how it has taken off during these times, obviously forced by COVID, but it’s still doing amazing.

AR: What is something you would tell your younger self if you could go back to when you started your career in remarketing?

CT: You are amazing … you will never guess what publication will be asking you questions about your career. 🙂

Always remember that work/life balance is key — never work so much you don’t have time for a life.