Three weeks into his new job at Mercedes-Benz and, aside from some office directional issues that delayed his arrival at the Maybach-branded meeting room, Nick Andrews has smoothly immersed himself into life at the premium carmaker.

He jokes about having to make ‘mental notes’ to turn off at the correct junction in Milton Keynes and not continue up the road to his former employers at Seat, but he’s clear about his reasons for making the move: “The opportunity to work with the best brand in the motor industry was a no-brainer.”

Sat alongside his new boss, Mercedes-Benz sales director Mike Whittington, Andrews adds: “I like to develop opportunities and with the future product that is coming we have real opportunities in fleet.”

Andrews’ predecessor Colin Niklas forecast an 11% rise in fleet sales this year when Fleet News met him 12 months ago; Mercedes-Benz is currently 37% up year-on-year. With Niklas now in a used car role, Andrews has been left with a solid base on which to build.

“In terms of resource we have a good foundation in the fleet team, but there’s still lots we can do to align ourselves with the marketplace,” he says. “It will be tweaks rather than changes.”

Whittington points to a lack of “clear and consistent strategy” as one of his concerns, adding: “We needed a key person to drive the fleet strategy.”

For Andrews, it’s about transparency with fleets and leasing companies. Communications will be crucial, particularly with the forthcoming models, which includes giving leasing companies all the information they need ahead of launch.

“We want them to look at Mercedes-Benz and say ‘they are open for business and they are easy to do business with’,” he explains.
 

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