Webinar - AC/DC and SFIA: powering digital careers at Arnold Clark

This session shares a practical, real-world case study from one of the UK’s largest family-owned businesses, showing how SFIA can be used to improve engagement, retention and career clarity across a large digital workforce.

Our speaker

Davie Gow has been Chief Technology Officer at Arnold Clark Automobiles since May 2024. His career in technology spans nearly 40 years.

He began his career as a YTS trainee in the mid-1980s and has since held a wide range of roles, including over twenty years as a freelancer. His experience includes positions such as UK Deputy CTO at Leidos Innovations UK, Digital Fellow with the Scottish Government, and multiple technical architecture and leadership roles across different industries.

This breadth of experience has shaped his passion for building transparent, skills-based progression frameworks that enable individuals and teams to thrive.

The Challenge

Historically, Arnold Clark’s digital department lacked clear progression routes. Many staff felt undervalued and often looked outside the organisation to progress their careers. Goals and objectives were inconsistent, and progression felt opaque—sometimes perceived as “your face had to fit.” This created retention challenges and hindered engagement.

The Solution: AC/DC with SFIA

To address these challenges, Arnold Clark introduced Arnold Clark Digital Careers (AC/DC), built on SFIA. AC/DC provides a structured approach to career progression, aligning roles with SFIA levels and enabling employees to assess themselves against any digital role. This framework ensures transparency, consistency, and fairness in performance evaluation, while promoting a culture of continuous development. 

Training and Engagement

The transformation is supported by extensive training and engagement initiatives. Arnold Clark has collaborated with partners to design and deliver instructor-led courses, self-paced learning, and leadership development programmes. These initiatives empower individuals and teams to take ownership of their progression, foster collaboration, and unlock hidden talent across the organisation.

About Arnold Clark

Arnold Clark is one of the UK’s largest family-owned automotive retailers, with over 70 years of trading history, more than 11,000 employees, and over 200 sites nationwide.
The business spans vehicle sales, aftersales, finance, insurance and fleet management, and depends on cutting-edge digital services that support millions of customers every year. As Arnold Clark continues to innovate in a data-driven retail automotive environment, its digital capability has become a critical contributor to business success.

Reserve your place on the webinar

Two live sessions will be held to support different time zones.
You only need to register for one session.

Webinar 1

Tuesday 17 February 2026 – 08:00–09:00 (UK / UTC)

• Australia (AEDT): 19:00 | Japan: 17:00 | Singapore: 16:00 | India (Mumbai): 13:30 | Dubai: 12:00 | Central Europe (CET): 09:00

Find the time of this event in your location
Register here

Webinar 2

Tuesday 17 February 2026 – 18:00–19:00 (UK / UTC)

• Central Europe (CET): 19:00 | Brazil (BRT): 15:00 | Chile (CLST): 15:00 | US East Coast (ET): 13:00 | US West Coast (PT): 10:00

Find the time of this event in your location
Register here

Please join live if you can — you’ll be able to ask questions and contribute to the discussion.
Our speakers find the session works best with a live audience and active questions.

If you can’t attend live, register anyway and we’ll send you the recording after the event.