In late August former DAF Trucks UK Aftersales Service Manager, Tony Shepherd, handed over his badge and settled into well-deserved retirement. As a DAF dealership we have had many reasons to work with Tony throughout his 34-year career, not least due to the incredible work he has put into the DAF Apprenticeship Programme, a branch of which we run here at Ford & Slater.
We wanted to personally offer Tony our many thanks and admiration for the impact he has had on the way we run our three trainee schemes and the support he has given our apprentices and Apprentice Coordinator over the years. We couldn’t think of any better way to offer our thanks than with the words of Ford & Slater Commercial Operations Director, and dear friend of Tony’s, Phillip Clayton:
“Tony is a unique individual, always pushing for more. His Innate and inbuilt fairness mean he has never shied from explaining where and when he thought DAF could be doing something differently and right away that won him the support of the dealer network – us included.
Tony’s lasting legacy will of course be the DAF Apprentice Scheme – mainly because it is the most public element of his work but also because of his commitment to the project. It was through his persistent and tireless efforts with the apprentices that I was inspired to create the Apprentice Coordinator role [currently held by Lee Sursham] here at Ford & Slater. Tony was involved with the interview process and continued to mentor Lee into the world of DAF, Skillnet and the City of Bristol College - he even pushed to get Lee onto the Board of Governors, a move which has seen the Scheme evolve beyond all expectations across the network.
Tony is a great friend and asset, and I think I speak for the entire dealership when I say we will miss him in our business.”
Happy retirement Tony!
