From testing jet engines to championing ADAS standards, Rob Mildenhall’s remarkable automotive journey reflects curiosity, resilience, technical excellence, and unwavering industry commitment

Few careers span military aviation, OEM engineering, motorsport, the automotive aftermarket, and the rapidly evolving world of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Fewer still have been shaped by the same curiosity and willingness to embrace change at every stage.
For Rob Mildenhall, Executive General Manager of NWG ADAS and Windscreens, and a member of the AAAA ADAS Code of Conduct Technical Working Group, every career move has built naturally on the one before it.
Whether working on jet engines, driveline technology or vehicle safety systems, his approach has remained the same: keep learning, challenge convention, and never stop looking ahead.
Looking back, it is remarkable that his career in automotive almost never happened. Born in Leopoldville in the Congo, Rob’s family relocated to Botswana after political unrest forced them to leave. Aviation captured his imagination from an early age, inspired by his father, who flew for Sabena Airlines.
“I always wanted to fly,” Rob recalls. “From very young, five or six, I always wanted to fly, and I learned to fly before I could drive a car properly.”
His father also enjoyed working on machinery between flying assignments, giving Rob an appreciation for engineering that would later prove invaluable.

Learning from the best
Rob’s first professional role was as an aircraft technician working on military jets and helicopters. By the age of just 20 he was fully qualified and operating his own jet engine test cell. The role demanded precision, discipline, and advanced diagnostic skills – attributes which would transfer seamlessly into automotive engineering.
Motorcycle racing was becoming another passion when Rob spotted an advertisement for a product development technician at Borg Warner – initially attracted by the company’s motorsport involvement, he soon discovered his experience operating jet engine dynamometers perfectly matched the challenges facing its testing department.
“The race team turned out to be in a different division,” Rob laughs.
The position launched a career spanning more than two decades with one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers. It also led to his own involvement in motorsport, sponsoring Johan Coetzee’s Gearmax Skyline in South Africa’s premier Wesbank Modified Racing Series.

Engineering at the cutting edge
Borg Warner exposed Rob to virtually every aspect of driveline engineering. Working with major vehicle manufacturers, he contributed to projects involving lubrication systems, differential technology, and production development, including prototype rear axles and differentials for the limited-production Ford Sierra V8.
Just as important as the engineering, however, were the people.
Throughout his career Rob has consistently credited mentors, colleagues, and industry leaders for investing their time and knowledge in his development, a lesson he believes shaped both his technical capability and leadership style.
His first exposure to the Australian automotive industry came in 1987 while leading product development work on the Nissan Pintara and Skyline programs. The projects involved collaboration with Stellenbosch University’s automotive engineering team to address noise, vibration, and harshness issues.
During that period, he developed a close friendship with Borg Warner Finance Director Peter Greer and his wife Annette, who introduced him to Australia and planted the seed for a future move. Geoff Rosenbaum also played an important role, introducing Rob to Phillip Joseph of Disc Brakes Australia and Ron Pedder of Pedders Suspension, friendships which have endured for decades and helped strengthen his ties with the Australian aftermarket.

Building relationships
As Rob’s technical expertise expanded, so too did his management responsibilities. He eventually became General Manager of Borg Warner’s Parts and Service Division, overseeing aftermarket operations while maintaining close relationships with vehicle manufacturers after the business became Gearmax following BTR Nylex’s acquisition.
Those OEM relationships led to successful remanufacturing programs supporting vehicle manufacturers and reinforced a lesson that has guided his career ever since: technical expertise opens doors, but relationships build lasting success.
One memorable chapter came during the lead-up to Y2K, when businesses feared widespread computer failures and rushed to secure standby diesel generators. Rob recalls going “from rascal to hero” after South Africa’s national breweries placed major generator orders, ensuring production could continue if problems emerged.
Following more than 20 years with Borg Warner, Rob joined Capricorn before eventually immigrating to Australia, where he led Capricorn’s collision sector while managing OEM relationships across New South Wales. Among the highlights were the Futures Collide conferences in 2019 and 2022, bringing together vehicle manufacturers, repairers, and leading equipment suppliers including SAPE, Lowbake, and Axalta to discuss the future of collision repair.
That commitment to improving the industry was recognised in 2021 when he received the National Collision Repairer Lifetime Achievement Award for service to the collision industry beyond the requirements of his role. For Rob, the award was less about personal recognition and more about acknowledging the many people who had mentored and supported him throughout his journey – including respected industry figures such as David Newton Ross and Bobby Christie, who he thanked for their generosity, guidance, and encouragement as he established himself within Australia’s collision repair sector.

Seeing ADAS before everyone else
Around 2017, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems were only beginning to attract serious industry attention. For Rob, however, the future was already becoming clear, as he recognised the sophisticated safety technologies would fundamentally reshape the industry.
Rather than waiting for the industry to catch up, Rob immersed himself in the technology, advocating for improved access to OEM repair information and laying the foundations for what would become the next stage of his career.
Convinced that ADAS would become central to safe vehicle repair, Rob established his own business dedicated to calibration and vehicle safety systems. It would prove to be one of the defining decisions of his career.
Today, ADAS calibration is an essential part of collision repair, windscreen replacement, mechanical servicing and, increasingly, heavy vehicle maintenance. The technology has transformed workshop procedures and placed greater emphasis on precision, training, and access to manufacturer repair information.
For Rob, the rapid evolution of vehicle technology reinforces a philosophy that has guided him throughout his career.
“Be respectful, listen, be inquisitive, and be prepared to learn from others and challenge the status quo,” he says when asked what qualities future industry leaders will need.
It is advice forged through decades of working across aviation, OEM manufacturing, the aftermarket, and today’s highly connected automotive landscape. Looking back, every major opportunity in Rob’s career has come from embracing unfamiliar challenges rather than remaining comfortable with existing knowledge. Whether moving from aviation into automotive engineering, relocating to Australia, or becoming an early advocate for ADAS, he has consistently chosen to step into emerging fields rather than wait for change to arrive.

A challenger brand with national ambitions
Today, Rob leads ADAS division for NWG ADAS and Windscreens as the company continues its rapid national expansion.
Founded almost four decades ago by Eric Heine in Melbourne, the business has evolved into Australia’s largest independent provider of automotive glass replacement and ADAS calibration services. Since Nash Capital became majority shareholder in 2024, NWG has expanded to 19 company-owned branches supported by an extensive authorised repair network across Australia.
For Rob, the combination of traditional auto glass expertise and advanced vehicle technology positions the company strongly for the future.
“As vehicles become increasingly sophisticated, customers need repairers who understand not only the glass but also the complex safety systems attached to it,” he says.
He believes the industry’s greatest opportunities will come from businesses prepared to invest in people, equipment, and continuous learning, rather than treating ADAS as simply another workshop service.
That commitment is reflected in his involvement with the AAAA ADAS Code of Conduct Technical Working Group, where he works alongside other industry leaders to improve repair standards, encourage consistent calibration practices, and help workshops prepare for the next generation of vehicle technology. He also remains passionate about ensuring independent repairers have access to the information, training, and equipment needed to repair modern vehicles safely and correctly.

Family, perspective, and the future
Away from work, Rob enjoys motorcycles, fishing, and spending time in his garage, where he is rarely happier than when tinkering with mechanical projects. Family, however, remains his greatest priority. A proud grandfather of three, he hopes that one day his children and grandchildren will all be living closer together.
Despite a career spanning military aviation, OEM engineering, motorsport, the collision industry, and the forefront of ADAS technology, Rob still speaks enthusiastically about what lies ahead. Reflecting on the pace of technological change, he laughs that he wishes he could “turn back the body clock” because there is still so much innovation left to experience.
For Rob, that attitude has guided every stage of an extraordinary journey – and, no doubt, the next chapter promises to be every bit as rewarding as the last.

To learn more about NWG ADAS and Windscreens, visit www.nwg.com.au