With deep roots in the British motor industry the British Motor Trade Association - BMTA - was for more than 50 years a leading influence on the manufacture and sale of motor vehicles. In 1967 BMTA became a charity seeking to offer financial support to individuals with an industry background who had found themselves or their families in temporary need or distress. This work expanded into education where children were at risk of being denied a continuing education or where the home situation was difficult. For many years BMTA grants have been awarded in support of welfare need in the motor industry and supporting children at state and independent schools.
While we continue our welfare support our focus remains on young people specifically apprentices learning while they earn. Apprenticeships provide a great opportunity to develop a young person’s career. We can provide financial support for a young person’s training and development needs.
The BMTA Trust is a small and well-funded charity. The long serving board of Trustees has a significant motor industry background, and the Trust can offer a wealth of knowledge in business management, development and training, social welfare and education.
Between July 2019 - June 2020 95 children and adults received grants from the Trust. We provided a total of £170,000 to applicants needing support. The average grant was £679 for household items, living adaptations and help with bills and £1,020 for tools and travel costs for apprentices.
Alasdair Pearson Appointed as trustee 1990 and currently Trust Chair. A former senior manager in the Retail Motor Industry, with responsibility for dealership operations, personnel development, and training, Alasdair has been involved during much of the last 20 years in primary school governance with particular experience of leading change, and of improving schools with poor inspection outcomes. Motor Industry appointments have included President, the Scottish Motor Trade Association, Lead Negotiator (Employers) National Joint Council, Chair, Glasgow Training Group, and board member of The Institute of The Motor Industry.
Simon Caffyn Simon graduated from university having read engineering. After working as a Management Consultant for a number of years he joined the motor industry in 1990 and is now Chief Executive of Caffyns plc. Simon’s earliest work experiences were as a teenager working as a mechanic and serving on the petrol pumps. He believes passionately in the value of apprenticeships and is keen that he can use his experience to help others begin successful careers in this exciting industry.
David Evans - David joined the legal department of a national group of companies with extensive motor vehicle interests before moving to the Motor Agents Association (now the Retail Motor Industry) as legal adviser. As a Board member he was made Legal & International Affairs Director, Company Secretary and then Chief Executive. An early task was the promotion of the UK Code of Practice for the motor industry. David was appointed President of the European Council for Motor Trades and Repairs (CECRA) where he led lobbying resulting in the adoption by the European Commission of the Block Exemption Regulations governing the relationship between suppliers and retailers in the industry.
Kaye Humby - Kaye has been a Trustee since 2016. Kaye’s interest in the work of the Trust stems from her long career in psychiatric social work and social work education. Kaye has worked in London Boroughs as a social worker before becoming involved in teaching students who were training to be social workers. For the last 20 years before she retired Kaye worked for the Open University.
David Main - David qualified as an accountant through a finance apprenticeship with the Dunlop Group. He then held senior finance positions in the BOC Group before progressing into general management initially with BOC and then across a number of sectors including automotive, health and social care, professional services, and not-for-profit. He firmly believes in the value of an apprenticeship as the launch pad for a successful career and through his involvement with the BMTA Trust aims to facilitate this for others.
Helen Burrows Helen joined the Trustee Board in 2022. Helen is an experienced senior HR professional, and is currently Chief HR Officer for UTAC Group, an international business in the automotive sector, having previously spent a large part of her career in automotive retail with Marshall Motor Group and Inchcape. In addition to her work with the BMTA Trust, Helen is also a Trustee of the Wessex Children's Hospice Trust, a charitable organisation that runs Naomi House and Jacksplace, which provide expert hospice care to more than 550 life limited and life threatened children, young adults and their families, where she chairs the People & Culture Committee
Stuart James Stuart is Chief Executive of the Independent Garage Association and a main Board Director of the Retail Motor Industry Federation. With a passion for motor vehicles, he joined the industry over 40 years ago as an apprentice technician, and during this time has worked in the UK and overseas with several large automotive organisations and vehicle manufacturers and would today describe himself with pride as a man from the tools. He is a staunch advocate for apprenticeships and is continually promoting the merits of a career in the motor industry.