SEAT / VOLKSWAGEN GROUP
Jürgen Stackman is to become chairman of Seat, the Spanish brand under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, replacing James Muir who will move to a senior management position at VW.
Stackman held a series of marketing, sales and manufacturing roles at Ford in both Germany and the UK from 1989 until 2010, when he joined the sales and marketing division of VW subsidiary koda. He has been head of marketing for the Group and VW Passenger Cars since September 2012.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Muir also began at Ford, where he also held sales and marketing positions from 1987 to 2001, when he moved to Mazda Europe as project director, becoming managing director of Mazda UK.
Muir was appointed president and chief executive of Mazda Europe in 2005, before becoming chairman of Seat in 2009.
VOLKSWAGEN UK
Michael O’Shea has been promoted from national fleet sales manager to head of fleet at Volkswagen UK.
O’Shea has been with the brand for 12 years, including three as national fleet sales manager and another three in the product marketing department.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataRobert Hazelwood, director of Volkswagen UK, praised O’Shea’s "wealth of knowledge and experience" in the fleet sector, which accounts for "over half of our total annual volume".
Volkswagen has consistently been placed third among the best-selling brands, retail and fleet, in the UK in recent years, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which have, of late, shown a swing from fleet to retail registrations.
AUTOROLA
Online vehicle remarketer Autorola has recruited Neil Gilligan and Mark Goddard as dealer development managers, reporting to UK sales director Jon Mitchell.
Gilligan joins from Yorkshire Bank and will develop Autorola’s brand in the north-west and support existing accounts. Goddard joins from Car Care Plans and will develop new business and working relationships with dealers.
The pair will promote Autorola’s business model, which allows dealerships to place stock online for auction without having to remove it from their own forecourts.
BEN
Representatives of Honda, Jaguar Land Rover and Marshall Group have been appointed to the board of trustees of automotive industry benevolent fund BEN.
Pauline Wiseman, general manager of European human resources at Honda, has joined following 25 years in the motor industry, during which she established the Honda Institute which provides personal development plans for all employees of dealerships for the brand.
Les Ratcliffe, head of community relations at Jaguar Land Rover, began both the Business Leadership initiative and community relations strategy in his 37 years at the company.
He currently helps manage a scheme across the two brands which brings together payroll giving and contributions based on UK sales for BEN.
Daksha Gupta, chief executive of Marshall Group, has a CV full of management roles across many car dealership groups, including Inchcape and Ridgeways. Under his watch, Marshalls won Dealer Group of the Year in both 2010 and 2011.
David Main, chief executive of BEN, praised the "leadership skills and business acumen" the trio would bring as the charity aimed to strengthen industry links and operate as efficiently as possible.
HONDA (UK)
Honda (UK) has appointed Phil Webb as head of dealer development for the brand, responsible for franchising, profitability and the standards and network of Honda retailers.
Webb, formerly head of power equipment at the marque, replaces Nick Campolucci who becomes the new head of Honda’s motorcycle division, the biggest-selling motorbike brand in the UK.
Webb joined Honda in 1997 as area operations manager at Honda Finance Europe and has since led the sales operation covering the brand’s lawn and garden, energy, marine and all-terrain vehicle products.
INFINITI
Francois Goupil de Bouillé has been appointed vice-president of global operations at Infiniti, the luxury sister brand of Nissan.
Based in Hong Kong and reporting to Johan de Nysschen, de Bouillé will be responsible for the entire Infiniti sales, aftersales, retail network development and customer care business worldwide, as well as taking full market responsibility for Infiniti’s Asia and Oceania region.
Prior to this, de Bouillé was vice-president and managing director for Nissan’s Region East, part of more than 30 years’ experience at Ford and Nissan.
BVRLA
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) has appointed Gerry Keaney as chief executive, effective from 1 May.
After starting his career at British Leyland, Keaney spent 21 years in a number of roles at Volvo, including six years as managing director of Volvo Cars UK. He then moved on to work for Volvo’s international parent company, most recently as senior vice-president of marketing, sales and customer service.
Keaney will replace current chief executive John Lewis, who will assume a new parttime role as director of external affairs, after having occupied the top spot for 13 years.
richard.brown@timetric.com
