From Jaguar apprentice to automotive executive, Mike Rainbow’s varied career provides valuable experience as he takes the helm at AASRA during an important industry transition

Mike Rainbow

There are not too many automotive careers that have taken a path quite like that of Mike Rainbow.
From starting out as an apprentice technician with TWR Jaguar in 1989, Mike has gone on to work as a technician, panel beater, service advisor, parts and logistics specialist, senior automotive executive, and business owner.
Now, more than three decades after first entering the industry, that remarkably broad experience has brought him to his latest challenge as Executive Officer of the Australian Automotive Service and Repair Authority (AASRA).
It is a role that puts Mike at the centre of one of the most important issues facing Australia’s independent automotive aftermarket – ensuring independent repairers can access the genuine manufacturer service and repair information they need to work on increasingly complex vehicles.
But Mike’s automotive story began long before AASRA.
Born in Luton in the UK, he moved with his family to Warwickshire in the English Midlands, where cars were very much part of his childhood.
His father was a rally co-driver, so Mike grew up with fast cars around the family home and developed an interest in the automotive world from an early age.
By 16, he had decided that was where his future lay.
A school careers officer suggested two possibilities: train as a mechanic or join the British Army.
Initially, Mike considered joining the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), with the prospect of working on military vehicles including tanks.
However, after basic training and faced with the prospect of a lengthy military commitment, he decided civilian automotive life was the better option.
It proved to be a good decision. After initially gaining some unpaid experience helping at an independent garage in his village, Mike secured his first paid automotive position as an apprentice technician with TWR Jaguar.
It was quite an introduction to the industry. Tom Walkinshaw Racing was at the height of its powers, with Jaguar’s XJR-9 having won Le Mans in 1988 and TWR-backed Jaguars again taking victory in 1990.
Mike arrived in between, entering an organisation where motorsport, engineering and high-performance vehicles were very much part of the culture.
From there he steadily built an unusually broad automotive CV.
Mike progressed from apprentice to qualified technician before adding panel beating to his skill set.
He subsequently moved into customer-facing positions as a service advisor and assistant service manager.
Rather than remaining on one particular career path, however, he continued looking for new challenges.
He moved away from customer-facing roles and into OEM parts supply and logistics, working as a parts analyst before becoming a Service Bill of Material specialist.
Management positions followed, ultimately taking Mike into senior roles including general manager and regional managing director.
That variety has given him an understanding of the automotive business from perspectives ranging from the technician actually carrying out a repair to the people responsible for managing complex organisations and supply chains.
In 2005, another major change arrived when Mike immigrated to Australia with his family.
He became an Australian citizen in 2010 and, when asked which decision he looks back upon as the one he got right in his life, his answer is simple: moving to Australia with his family.
In 2021, Mike took another change of direction, stepping away from his corporate career and establishing his own company.
Five years later, however, the pull of the automotive industry remained strong.
“I wanted to get back into automotive and AASRA was nice enough to take me on board as Executive Officer,” Mike said.
It is a position particularly well suited to someone whose career has crossed so many parts of the industry.

Right to Repair enters a new phase
AASRA occupies a unique position within Australia’s automotive industry.
The organisation was established following the Federal Government’s decision to legislate the Motor Vehicle Information Sharing Scheme (MVIS), which came into effect on July 1, 2022.
The legislation is intended to promote competition between Australian repairers by requiring vehicle manufacturers to make service and repair information available on fair and reasonable commercial terms.
AASRA is the government-appointed Scheme Adviser, responsible for supporting the day-to-day operation of the scheme.
Its functions include facilitating access to information, assisting repairers and data providers, facilitating dispute resolution and reporting relevant matters to government and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
For independent repairers, the practical importance is straightforward: increasingly complex vehicles cannot be correctly diagnosed, serviced, or repaired without access to accurate manufacturer information.
That importance is only increasing as vehicles incorporate more sophisticated electronics, advanced driver assistance systems, security systems, electrified powertrains, and software-controlled functions.
AASRA describes itself as the gateway to genuine service and repair information, providing Australian repairers with access pathways to current manufacturer information so vehicles can be serviced and repaired to manufacturer standards.
For Mike, maintaining the integrity of that information is fundamental.
“AASRA relies on genuine information always and having good relations with constant good communication with government, big and small business whilst keeping a neutral stance,” he said.
That neutrality is important because AASRA sits between a diverse collection of stakeholders that do not necessarily approach every issue from the same perspective.
Mike believes one of AASRA’s strengths is its diverse board, representing different areas of the automotive industry.
The organisation’s board includes representatives from the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association, Australian Automotive Dealer Association, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce, together with an independent Chair.
AASRA’s role is therefore not to advocate for one side over another, but to help make the legislated information-sharing system work.
Mike nominates “neutrality, authenticity” and the organisation’s accumulated industry data among its advantages, along with something much less technical: listening.
For him, every industry voice deserves to be heard, regardless of the size of the business behind it.
That philosophy extends to AASRA’s relationship with the AAAA.
“We truly value our association with the AAAA as we understand that the AAAA truly understands the value add that AASRA brings to the industry,” Mike said.
“It also allows us to engage positively with its members and listen to what they have to say.”

Making information easier to access
Mike sees considerable potential for AASRA to develop beyond simply fulfilling its legislative obligations.
His ambition is for the AASRA portal to increasingly become the central destination for genuine automotive repair information and industry support – a place where different parts of the industry can interact more seamlessly.
The organisation already provides a centralised pathway to manufacturer information, while participating brands can use AASRA to
verify technician credentials required for access to certain restricted safety and security information.
AASRA also publishes information about manufacturer scheme offers and assists when repairers encounter difficulties obtaining information they are entitled to access.
For workshops facing an increasingly complicated car parc, making those processes easier could become even more important.
Mike identifies managing expectations and maintaining industry engagement among AASRA’s ongoing challenges, together with responding to any future legislative changes.
His own career should help with that task. He has worked on the tools, dealt directly with customers, experienced the parts and logistics side of OEM operations, occupied senior corporate management positions and run his own business.
He therefore brings to AASRA an understanding that the same issue can look very different depending upon which side of the workshop counter – or boardroom table – you happen to occupy.
Despite reaching senior management and now leading an important automotive industry organisation, Mike’s advice to somebody starting an automotive career is refreshingly uncomplicated.
“Be curious, love what you do, and put your hand up for work when asked,” he said.
He also has little doubt about what matters most when employing or working with people.
“Good attitude every time,” Mike said.
“Skills can be learnt; enthusiasm is a must for me.”
Away from work, cars remain very much part of Mike’s life. He is a keen Land Rover enthusiast who enjoys heading off-road, while another serious interest is Warhammer 40,000 tabletop gaming, including competing in tournaments.
Family, however, remains at the centre of his world. Mike credits his wife Naomi, an artist, with keeping him grounded and being someone upon whom he can always rely. The couple have two sons, Elijah and Xavier.
From a teenager considering fixing British Army tanks to an apprentice at TWR Jaguar, technician, panel beater, service advisor, parts specialist, managing director, business owner and now AASRA Executive Officer, Mike has experienced an extraordinary cross-section of the automotive industry.
Now that experience is being put to work helping ensure Australia’s Right to Repair framework delivers what it was created to achieve.
As vehicle technology becomes more complex, independent workshops need genuine manufacturer information if they are to continue servicing and repairing the Australian vehicle fleet safely and effectively.
Mike’s goal is to make AASRA an increasingly valuable part of making that happen – while ensuring the organisation continues listening to the industry it was created to serve.

To learn more about AASRA, visit www.aasra.com.au