Industry jobs: Roles filled at R2C Online, Circle Leasing, Volta Trucks and Red Driving School

Tim Meadows has been named as the new managing director at R2C Online.

He succeeds Nick Walls, who founded the company in 2003, following its acquisition in April last year by Fleetcor Technologies.

Meadows joins from another Fleetcor company, Epyx, where he served as vice president and commercial director.

He has a track record of over 25 years in the fleet sector, having held senior positions at LeasePlan, Lombard and Custom Fleet.

Tim Meadows, managing director at R2C Online, said: “Since the company became part of the Fleetcor family, we’ve been working closely with them on several projects and have found the team, products and services to be of the highest standard.

"R2C Online is, we believe, the de-facto standard SaaS platform in the UK for commercial vehicle compliance and maintenance across fleet operators, fleet management providers, workshops and manufacturers. My aim is to build on that position, enhancing and growing the business, using both its existing resources and those now available across Fleetcor.

"Especially, in the new normal, fleets are looking to their technology providers to deliver new ideas, benefits and innovations to help them cope with the unexpected conditions they now face. We’ll be working to meet some of those needs by remaining close to our customer base and continuing to innovate real solutions for the fleet industry."

Aditya Varadpande, senior vice president and managing director at Fleetcor, said: “Since the acquisition of R2C Online last year, we’ve been working our way through an integration plan designed to create a seamless transition for customers and staff.

"The arrival of Tim marks the conclusion of that process. He is an excellent appointment with a superb track record, and we are sure that he will make a success of this role."

Sarah Minogue appointed as Circle Leasing’s new head of sales

Circle Leasing has named Sarah Minogue as the company’s new head of sales.

Minogue moves up to the position from her leadership role as national field sales manager with the company, after previously holding the position of partner client manager.

The business says that Minogue had organised Circle Leasing's sales function into a uniform team which delivered "a professional approach to the company’s bodyshop and accident repair customers" after the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis hit the UK.

Aidan Minogue, chief executive of Circle Leasing, said: "Sarah demonstrated excellent leadership skills and balanced both the business’s and the customers’ needs during this difficult time.

"Thirteen years ago, Sarah gave up a law degree and joined Circle. She has worked in most of the business areas and been coached by many of our managers who, like me, must be proud that she has continued to demonstrate genuine care for her colleagues and customers alike."

Commenting on her appointment, Sarah Minogue said: "I’m excited to continue my journey with Circle in my new role.

"Learning the business from different areas and working in different areas helped me develop and grow as an individual.

"The pandemic has certainly been challenging but the team has pulled together to make these uncertain times as manageable as possible for our customers."

Volta Trucks appoints Dr Seshu Bhagavathula to its board of directors

Volta Trucks has confirmed the appointment of Dr Seshu Bhagavathula to its board of directors.

The business says that Bhagavathula will bring a “wealth of global automotive, commercial vehicle industry and vehicle electrification experience” to the start-up full-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Bhagavathula will also act as an advisor to the Volta Trucks management team, and his appointment is effective immediately.

Tomas Bergstrom, chairman of the Board and representative of one of the company’s main shareholders, said: "Seshu Bhagavathula will bring an extensive global knowledge of the automotive and commercial vehicle industry to the board of directors of Volta Trucks.

"His in-depth understanding and experience, especially in the field of electrification, will support the board and help guide the company as it transitions from a start-up to the manufacturer of the first purpose-built full electric large commercial vehicle."

Bhagavathula joins the board of Volta Trucks from Ashok Leyland, where he held the position of president of new technologies and business initiatives.

In the role, he was responsible for product and portfolio planning and converting new technologies including vehicle electrification into new business initiatives.

Prior to his appointment as president, he undertook the role of chief technology officer at Ashlock Leyland, with responsibility for the research and development of heavy duty, medium duty, and lightweight commercial vehicles as well as the company’s electric vehicle (EV) projects and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Bhagavathula has also held the position of vice president, research and development for China’s Great Wall Motor Company, as well as senior director and managerial roles within research and development for Daimler Trucks and Daimler Chrysler AG.

Bhagavathula holds a doctorate in high-frequency technology from the University of Stuttgart in Germany. He has several patents in automotive technology fields and has around 35 technical publications to his credit.

New head of training appointed at Red Driving School

Ian Fido has been appointed the new head of training at Red Driving School.

With over 15 years in the industry, Fido will oversee training for Red’s network of 1,500 instructors and support expansion into fleet driver training.

In his new role, Fido will oversee Red instructor training across the UK including business seminars for new franchisees.

The driving school said he will also play a "pivotal role" in developing Red’s fleet driver training programme, following Red’s acquisition of the NFE Group in 2020.

Fido will work closely with Andy Neale, the general manager of Red’s driver risk management business on a range of fleet training products including risk assessments, advanced driver training, trailer training and driver wellbeing programmes.

Ian Fido, head of training at Red Driving School, said: "I’m very invested in ensuring driving instructors and fleet drivers are safe, skilled and confident behind the wheel, so my ethos aligns closely with Red’s.

"I look forward to enhancing the already well-round training programmes at Red and continuing to work with driving instructors around the country."

Having first qualified as an approved driving instructor with British School of Motoring (BSM) in 2005, Fido went on to become an instructor trainer for BSM before founding his own driving school in 2009. Fido joined RED as training and development manager in 2018.

Ian McIntosh, chief executive of Red Driving School, said: "We are delighted to have been able to promote Ian to head of training following a fantastic two years with Red as our training and development manager.

"It’s great to see the business performing strongly post-lockdown, with a huge demand for lessons. Now, Red is becoming fully operational again, we are accelerating our plans to integrate our newly acquired fleet training business into the organisation.

"Ian will be a key team member in Red’s mission to become the go-to fleet driver training organisation for businesses across the UK."