Europcar appoints specialist vehicle director

Europcar has appointed Stuart Russell as its newly created specialist vehicle director. With more than 12 years commercial vehicle experience, Stuart will be focused on developing and implementing strategies to grow Europcar’s Van and Prestige services. His responsibilities encompass all aspects of fleet and financial forecasting as well as product pricing, sales & marketing.

Europcar already has the youngest commercial vehicle fleet in the UK market, with an average age of 14 months as well as the most extensive prestige fleet. Russell’s task, as specialist vehicle director, is to raise awareness of the company’s capabilities across the entire business marketplace and to grow Europcar’s share of the van market.

“Our goal is to combine our market-leading fleet with our leading edge technology to create the benchmark for our commercial and prestige vehicle services”, explained Ken McCall, managing director, Europcar Group UK. “Europcar is already well known as the market leader for cars and, with Stuart’s focus and experience, we aim to change perceptions within the industry so that there is a clear understanding that Europcar is also a viable solution for Van and Prestige vehicle hire.”

Russell brings a wealth of experience to his new role. Previously at Europcar as Area Manager (LHR) from 1988 to 1999, more recently he spent 4 years with van specialist Northgate where he was Sales Director – Northgate VSL

Commenting on his appointment Russell said “I am delighted to be back at Europcar after a 12 year absence and returning to the van hire industry. The sector is at an interesting crossroads in its evolution and I am returning to it at a time when several of the UK’s largest van hire companies have fallen by the wayside. Priorities have changed, customers want to ensure continuity of service in what is an uncertain time and Europcar can offer that.

“I am particularly inspired by the prospect of increasing the scope of the Van & Prestige services. Ken McCall comes from a van focused industry and we both view vans as representing a real opportunity for growth within the company. We will be challenging the major van rental companies within their own arenas to highlight that Europcar is the market leader within the hire industry as a whole.”