Northgate Vehicle Hire has appointed Colleen Hankin to the role of head of sales in the south of England.

This newly-created role will see Hankin lead the sales operation across all 28 of Northgate’s branches in the south of England, including 13 London branches.  The appointment comes at a time of expansion for Northgate, following the launch of new branches in London, Brighton and Essex.

Hankin will lead the regional sales teams in the south and alongside another two regional heads of sales, currently being recruited for.

With a strong track record in sales across a variety of sectors, Hankin brings with her a wealth of knowledge as she embarks on her first role within the fleet industry. 

She has previously worked with the world’s leading enterprise for business process and document management, Xerox, before joining Office Depot where she was promoted to director of corporate enterprises.  Most recently she worked as general manager (south) for PaperlinX.

She said: “Northgate offers a strong proposition within the LCV market and a solid reputation for customer service, which places the sales team in a strong position to achieve significant growth in the south of England.

“I am particularly looking forward to delivering tangible added value to our customers’ businesses and working with them to understand and support their business needs. 

“Northgate’s focus on engaging with customers and building long-term relationships with them is what attracted me to the company, and I hope to build on this in the future.”

Mike Willink, supply chain and business development director, said: “The south of England is a key region for us with great potential to grow our customer base. 

“Bringing in a head of sales of Colleen’s calibre is a sign of our intent to increase our presence and help us cement our reputation as the leading vehicle rental company in the region. 

“I am sure that her experience and enthusiasm will help our sales staff across our branches in the South to build on our existing success”.

Northgate Vehicle Hire has sites across 77 locations in the UK & Ireland, with its head office in Darlington.