Holman expands operations team as BT Group contract begins

Holman has made several senior appointments to cater for new business wins, including the running of the UK’s biggest fleet maintenance deal with BT Group.

BT Group announced in March that Holman had been awarded the contract to maintain its commercial vehicle fleet, while it would be transferring the management of its company cars to Arval UK, ending its long-standing relationship with Rivus from September 30.

The initial seven-year deal will see it providing service, maintenance, and repair, portfolio management, glass replacement, and pool vehicle/rental management to BT Group’s fleet of around 37,000 commercial vehicles.

Nick Caller, Holman UK managing director, said: "During this transformative period for our business, these appointments serve as a clear demonstration of our unwavering dedication to our customers.

“I have full confidence that as we attract even more new customers, their contributions will have a significant impact, guaranteeing the consistent delivery of excellent customer service to all of our clients, regardless of the number of vehicles they operate.”

Paul Probert (pictured below) joins the company as operations director, bringing with him extensive experience in the distribution and logistics sectors, most recently with Ryder.

Also joining the operations team are: Dominic Hutchinson as head of operations based at Holman’s Chippenham headquarters; Iain Palmer as head of operations based in the company’s new Birmingham office: and Gemma Towers as operations manager.

Probert said: “I am excited about leading the operations team and to create a step change in the capability of operational execution.”

Hutchinson joins from Novuna Vehicle Solutions, where he was fleet services manager. He added: “Holman is a growing business and has picked up some great new customers. I am looking forward to playing my part in this exciting journey and working with the talented teams we have here at Holman.”

Palmer, meanwhile, brings 15 years of experience from his time at Ryder, where he held various roles, including central operations manager.

He says he is looking forward to establishing the new operation on behalf of BT, “transforming the service delivery to provide industry-leading standards” and ultimately benefiting Holman's other customers as well.

Finally, Towers joins Holman from Zenith, where she served as the customer service manager for driver management.

She added: “It’s exciting to join Holman during this pivotal time, participating in the establishment of the new Birmingham office, recruiting an entire department, implementing new processes and suppliers, and ensuring the success of the BT contract.”

These latest appointments come after Holman appointed Nimesh Chauhan to oversee the contract to provide a range of services to BT Group. 

At the time, Holman said that, to support the BT operation and an increasing number of new contract wins, it was expanding its operations into Birmingham by establishing a new facility and creating various positions, from leadership to trainee positions.

It also recently announced that it has grown its service, maintenance, and repair (SMR) network to more than 2,000 outlets, tripling its size in the past year. 

However, Holman’s winning of the BT Group contract has been marred by a dispute over the future of hundreds of staff employed by Rivus, which lost the fleet maintenance deal.   

Hundreds of Rivus employees faced the stark choice of taking a cut-rate redundancy payment or leaving empty-handed as the BT Group contract transferred to Holman.

The Rivus staff impacted by the loss of the BT Group contract had faced weeks of uncertainty over their futures while an argument raged over whether TUPE – Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) – regulations apply or not.