THINK of coaches (wake up, there!)... and women don't immediately spring to mind...

In fact, the coach industry has traditionally been regarded as the preserve of men with clipboards.

But times are changing and Kathy Tilbury is making an impression.

As newly promoted managing director of Excelsior Coaches in Bournemouth, the 37-year-old has invested £162,000 - giving her a 20 per cent stake in the business.

"It was a huge gamble and short of getting married is the biggest one I've made," she said.

Leaving school after sixth form, there were various options open to her.

"I was into watersports and worked in an outdoor activity centre. I could have done that full- time or I could have gone into IT - where the money was - so that's what I did."

Her first job was with a market research company as a computer operator. A short stint looking after the IT for Business Link followed, as did a spell with Comet.

Kathy has always felt a calling to Bournemouth. "We used to come down here quite a lot because my family had a holiday home."

But in 2001 she relocated from Uxbridge to Bournemouth with no job to go to. Working in a farm shop for a while, she missed the buzz of corporate life.

It was not long before she found herself working for BT Local Business and after selling a BT system to Excelsior Coaches, Ken Robins offered her the role of sales and marketing manager.

Initially, she encountered some negativity.

"Because I was a woman and didn't drive a coach, I was perceived to know nothing about the business.

"I used to crawl around sorting out the IT systems here - and so, many questioned what I knew about the industry."

Kathy does not consider Excelsior to be a coach group, rather a service provider.

"It sets us apart from the rest. I try to get people to see things from a different angle.

"Excelsior is Hampshire Cricket Club's official team coach supplier. Plus we have contracts with Poole-based over-50s insurer RIAS and Liverpool Victoria too."

She added: "We take the higher hanging fruit and prefer to focus on staff transportation rather than school runs.

"We're moving 150 people a day. That's 300 vehicles a day off the roads of Bournemouth and surrounding areas."

While insisting she is not an "anorak", Kathy does know about her fleet. "Brand-new coaches can cost over £200,000 and our coaches have Volvo chassis and running gear - the bodies are made by various firms."

She added: "The last lot of National Express coaches we purchased were £190,000 each and we have four of those."

Excelsior currently has a fleet of 23 coaches and four minibuses. The oldest is a 1999 model - the rest are 2000 and newer.

What plans are there for the future?

"From a cost point of view, coach operators need to get to their pick-up point without generating dead' mileage.

"We're looking at expanding Excelsior outside its current premises and are planning on taking a site near Southampton.

"The contract with Hampshire Cricket Club gets us into Southampton and access to the motorway is easier from there.

"Our contract with National Express means we are the first point of contact for all their services outside Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Southampton.

"Contractually they have to offer us every service they've got. That means that we need to punch out into that area."

Kathy's success has not gone to her head either - she is keen to point out that she still makes the coffee.