Tom Mylott is Managing Director of Reynolds and Reynolds UK, where he leads the business through a period defined by AI and data in automotive retail. With a focus on turning insight into action, he champions the use of clear, unified data to help retailers make better decisions and build stronger customer relationships. Tom is particularly interested in how technology creates time for people to think, innovate, and deliver greater value. Known for his grounded, strategic approach, he believes successful leadership starts with purpose, with AI acting not as a driver, but as a powerful enabler of it.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with CIO Magazine, Tom shared insights into how his journey to UK Managing Director at Reynolds and Reynolds shaped his view of leadership. He believes AI’s real value is creating time for people to think, innovate, and deliver greater value. Tom argues that data, not AI or automation, is the true foundation because unified data makes AI actionable and turns insight into revenue. His advice for leaders working alongside AI is to lean into it, but to understand their “Why” first, since purpose and values remain human while AI amplifies them. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Tom. Congratulations on your new role as UK Managing Director. What part of leading this next chapter are you most excited to dive into first?
There is real momentum in our business right now, and my immediate focus is on channelling that into something transformative. I want to equip our people with the tools and mindset to be truly innovative. Not innovation for its own sake, but the kind that creates meaningful outcomes for our retailers and their customers.
It is a daily occurrence that I hear of an associate who has optimised a process, tasks that once took five hours now taking thirty minutes. For me, that is not a story about efficiency. It is a story about the creation of time. Time to think, to develop, to serve customers better. That is the potential AI unlocks, and it is the vision I want to lead.
You said the next few years will be defined by AI, automation, and data. Which of those three do you think will have the biggest impact on how dealers serve customers?
Data. AI and automation are powerful, but they are ultimately in service of something more fundamental: the ability to use data in the right way. Clear, concise, and truly unified data across every touchpoint of a retailer’s operation.
The transformation happens when a dealer can see their entire business through a single, coherent lens. AI and automation make that data actionable and scalable, but the foundation is always data integrity. Get that right, and everything else follows.
Sustainability and electrification are reshaping retail. What trend in that space will require the biggest mindset shift from dealers?
The biggest shift will be recognising that electrification is not simply a product change. It is a fundamental reshaping of customer behaviour and the economics of retailing. Dealers need to understand the socioeconomic buying trends of their customer base, because those trends are driving the electrification conversation.
The competitive edge will come from understanding where the most significant revenue creation lies in the aftersales market for electric vehicles, and from using technology to deepen the customer relationship across the entire ownership journey, not just at the point of sale.
Talent is a constant theme in retail. How will the skills needed on dealership floors change over the next 5 years?
We have already seen the crossover between electrical engineering and traditional mechanics accelerate, and that will continue. But the change I find most compelling is the emergence of the strategic thinker on the dealership floor.
For the first time, data will be accessible and meaningful. AI can now surface it in ways that are relevant to both retailers and their customers. The next generation of dealership talent will need to ask a different question: how do we convert insight into new revenue streams? That requires commercial curiosity and a willingness to lead with data.
You lead with clarity and focus on the customer. Is there a book, quote, or story that still shapes how you think about simplicity?
Simon Sinek’s Start With Why has stayed with me longer than most. His argument that great leaders inspire by starting with purpose, not process, is one I return to constantly.
What I find enduring about it is this: AI will change almost everything about how we work and compete, but it will not change the reason why you want to lead. My advice to anyone navigating this era is simple, understand your Why, and allow AI to help you fulfil it at a scale that simply was not possible before.
Outside of boardrooms and dealers, everyone needs something that resets them. What’s your favourite way to recharge after a demanding week?
After many years playing rugby, my relationship with sport has evolved to less painful pursuits. These days I lean into running, golf, cricket and, more recently, padel. I recently completed a half marathon for charity, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I tend to be motivated by seemingly impossible targets, so the concept of Zone 2 running has never quite sat well with me, every run is a race. Outside of sport, I find myself reading opinion pieces and listening to podcasts about AI, which probably says something about where my head is even when I am supposed to be switching off. I am not entirely sure whether that counts as recharging…
Automotive retail connects people and products. If you weren’t in this industry, what other field would you be curious to lead in and why?
I am genuinely passionate about what we do, so I believe I would still be drawn to the world of retail and the connected customer.
The question of how you build a lasting relationship between a brand and a person, not just a transaction, but a genuine connection, fascinates me across sectors. The convergence of technology and human behaviour makes it one of the most exciting spaces to be thinking about right now.
What is your biggest goal? Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
In five years, I want Reynolds and Reynolds to have shaped the future of automotive retailing, to have built the foundation that creates the most informed and successful retailers and OEMs in the industry.
On a personal level, I want to look back on this period and recognise it for what I believe it truly is: a defining chapter in our history. My goal is not simply to manage that transition well, but to come out the other side having genuinely accelerated our growth, with a business and a team that reflects what was possible when we got it right.
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring leader who will spend their entire career working alongside AI, what would it be?
Lean into it. AI has opened up an entirely new dimension of what human potential can look like, and the leaders who thrive will be those who embrace that rather than resist it.
But here is what will not change: the reason why you want to lead. Your purpose, your values, the impact you want to have, AI cannot manufacture those. What it can do is amplify them. Understand your Why, and allow AI to help you fulfil it. Just be clear on your direction, back the people doing the work, and never lose sight of the customer. AI will increase your potential, but it will not simplify every decision. That part remains entirely human.