Deloitte and Western Sydney University, The College launch industry first ‘Automotive Leadership Program’

Western Sydney University, The College, in partnership with Deloitte Motor Industry Services, today announced the launch of the Deloitte Automotive Leadership Program, an industry first leadership model purpose-built for Australia’s automotive sector.

At a time of unprecedented disruption in the automotive industry, including the transition to electrification, the growth of digital retail, AI-enabled service models and structural workforce change, the Program positions leadership capability as a strategic lever for commercial performance.

Glenn Campbell, CEO of Western Sydney University, The College, described the initiative as a defining moment for the industry.

“The automotive sector is transforming at speed. Technology is advancing. Customer expectations are shifting. Operating models are evolving. What has not kept pace is the structured development of leadership capability across dealership networks. This collaboration changes that,” said Mr Campbell.

Deloitte’s Automotive Leadership Program is not a generic leadership program adapted to Australia’s automotive sector. It has been contextualised to the realities of the motor industry from the ground up, incorporating curriculum components from EV transition and digital transformation to customer experience redesign and sustainable profitability. It delivers a career-long pathway from front-line leadership through to executive strategy, integrating nationally recognised qualifications with practical, workplace-embedded application.

“We are combining Deloitte’s sector insight and commercial advisory strength with world-class academic resources from one of Australia’s most innovative universities. The result is a development program designed not just to educate, but to strengthen the structural capability of the industry itself.”

The Program has been designed to help automotive industry personnel build a more effective, performance-driven workforce, while addressing one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: talent retention and attraction. This pathway is designed for retail dealership teams, and dealership networks as a whole, including other stakeholders along the automotive value chain.

Clear career pathways, accredited progression and premium co-facilitated learning experiences, position the automotive sector and dealership retail as a destination industry for high-potential professionals.

“If the industry wants to attract the best and brightest, it must offer visible, credible development pathways,” Mr Campbell said. “This Program signals that leadership in automotive is not accidental. It is deliberate, structured and future-focused.”

The tiered Program structure includes Certificate IV, Diploma and Graduate Certificate programs. Flexible blended delivery ensures minimal operational disruption, while embedding learning directly into dealership operations and team performance.

Deloitte Motor Industry Services managing partner, Lee Peters, said the partnership represents a new standard in industry and education collaboration.

“Management and leadership capability is now central to commercial resilience. This Program provides a scalable, nationally consistent framework to build that capability across the automotive value chain,” said Mr Peters.

Market activation will commence in early 2026, with inaugural cohorts launching later in the year.

ENDS.

20 April 2026
Media Unit