New IAEA President Phil Briggs is pushing a digital-first, standards-driven agenda that keeps qualified engineers at the centre of claims decisions, tightens salvage categorisation and EV safety, and normalises green parts use, changes that could cut unnecessary write-offs and deliver steadier, higher-value demand for quality-assured recycled parts from UK ATFs.
Phil Briggs has taken over as President of the Institute of Automotive Engineer Assessors (IAEA) at a pivotal moment for the profession. An ageing workforce, rapid technological change in vehicles, and rising expectations around salvage, safety, and sustainability are reshaping how damaged vehicles are assessed. His agenda for a more modern, digital and outward-facing Institute could directly influence total-loss decisions and the wider use of green parts and salvage across the UK market.
From workshop floor to Institute President
Phil Briggs’ route to the presidency is firmly “from the tools”. As he explains: “My background is from the tools. I worked my way up off the floor, ran service and bodyshops, then moved into insurance as a staff engineer, senior engineer and auditor.”
He has since held senior roles in repair groups, worked with manufacturer-approved bodyshop networks from volume to prestige marques, helped grow independent bodyshop group DWS from 11 to 18 sites, introduced GT Estimate to the UK market, and now runs independent engineering firm Freedom Assessors, supporting insurer and legal clients nationwide.
That mix of bodyshop, insurer, systems and OEM experience gives him a broad view of the claims and repair chain. “I’ve walked the OEM line, the insurer line and the repairer line,” he says, a perspective he believes is essential for building trust between engineers, insurers, repairers, salvage operators and recyclers.
Having served on the IAEA Council for more than a decade, he is candid that the Institute needed to evolve. It had, he says, been “stuck for quite a long time, very legacy-based”, and now needed to become more digital and inclusive. He intends to build on his predecessors’ work by modernising services and expanding the membership base.
Digital-first Institute and clearer standards
Phil Briggs’ first priority is completing the IAEA’s digital transformation. A new online platform is being launched to give members easier access to services, CPD and events, while opening the Institute to a wider range of engineers, including independents.
Regional meetings will continue, but he is pushing for a hybrid model, with strong local lectures recorded, shared nationally and supported by live Q&A. With the average engineer age “circa 50” and many insurers having outsourced technical roles, he sees a clear need for the Institute to provide structure, consistency and professional identity for the next generation.
A second focus is raising standards through a clear, digital professional register of IAEA engineers. He plans to encourage insurers, accident management companies and fleet operators to list their engineers once the platform is fully live, alongside independents. The aim is a transparent system that shows who is qualified and to what level. All IAEA members are bound by a Code of Conduct, with the Institute able to act where standards fall short.
To support new talent, the education committee is developing structured entry routes, including an apprentice grade. A VDA-style grade is also planned for currently non-qualified engineers, requiring them to sign up to the Code of Conduct and commit to training. The objective is to give employers a credible development pathway while giving the Institute meaningful leverage to uphold standards.
AI, pricing and the role of green parts
Phil Briggs takes a pragmatic view of AI and automation. “Machine learning and recognition have a place because they save time,” he says, but he is equally clear on the risks. He highlights the growing ability to create convincing images of damage or manipulate invoices, warning that without strong technical oversight, such tools could inflate repair costs and distort total-loss decisions.
His answer is to keep qualified engineers central to decision-making, and to apply more realism around pricing and parts use. On labour rates, he questions why full retail rates are routinely applied to older vehicles. “That doesn’t happen in other sectors,” he argues, and it simply increases the number of vehicles written off unnecessarily.
Instead, he supports sliding labour scales and “a modicum of sensibility” to keep older vehicles economically repairable. That approach goes hand-in-hand with wider use of green parts. “Part of any good total-loss avoidance scheme should include green parts, ideally from vehicles of the same age or newer,” he says.
If reliable systems were in place to quickly source quality-assured recycled parts, he believes this would become routine practice, moving the UK closer to the French model, where recycled parts are embedded in everyday repair. “Government would need to be lobbied to ensure the right controls are in place,” he notes. As the parc electrifies, he sees a future in which most repairs include some green parts. For UK ATFs, that could mean steadier, higher-value demand for properly processed components.
Salvage, EV safety and implications for ATFs
Phil Briggs is also keen to strengthen salvage categorisation and EV safety. On salvage, he is direct: “When unqualified or poorly trained people are making salvage decisions, I don’t think it’s the best fit,” he says, referring to models where categories are determined largely by financial outcomes rather than technical assessment.
He believes the ABI Code could be strengthened and made compulsory, reducing the risk of unsafe vehicles returning to the road. “The key is that the decision is made by a technically competent person,” he says. Greater dialogue and transparency across the sector, he argues, would build trust and lead to better practice.
On EVs and emerging powertrains, he is developing technical partnerships with training providers such as ITAS and Thatcham, as well as OEMs, including new Chinese entrants to the UK market. “That technology has to be filtered to the engineer so that when they turn up, they’re safe,” he says, underlining the importance of CPD, practical awareness and clear procedures as EV volumes increase.
He recognises the scale of the challenge. “There’s so much to go at in what is realistically quite a short period of time, two years,” he admits. But his direction is clear: a modern, digital Institute; visible and enforceable standards; structured routes into the profession; and a stronger, more credible voice on salvage, EV safety and green parts.
For UK ATFs and vehicle recyclers, that agenda could translate into more consistent categorisation, wider acceptance of recycled parts in repair, and better-informed decisions on whether vehicles are repaired or dismantled, supporting both safety and commercial performance across the vehicle parc.
Further reading on ATF Professional
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Green Parts on the Up: What the 2025 State of the Industry Report Means for UK ATFs
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How ABI’s Updated Salvage Code of Practice Reflects the Modern Vehicle Landscape
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Electric Vehicle Dismantling: Best Practices and Lessons Learned
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Driving Clarity and Consistency: The IAEA on the 2025 Salvage Code and the Future of EV Assessment
