Martin Potter to lead customer focus at Aston Barclay

Aston Barclay has refreshed its focus on customer service with the appointment of Martin Potter to the new role of managing director - customer.

Potter was appointed auction managing director in October 2019, but his new role will see him in charge of everything related to customer, both vendor and buyer.

“We want to continue our customer excellence from the team, I think that is our USP - how we approach the customer. We try to work on creating longer-term partnerships and that’s what the restructure was all about,” Potter said.

Neil Hodson, who was instrumental in the company’s management buy-out in 2017, and since led the business as CEO, has taken a step back to a consultative role within the company.

Justin Lane, who was named managing director - operations, in October 2019, now holds the role of chief operating officer with responsibility for the business’s auction operations.

Benjamin Crawford has joined the business as its new head of marketing. He reports to Potter and is responsible for making sure the business has the right marketing strategy for its sales team but also to ensure it is growing its buyer base.

Potter added: “It’s about making sure that we are there for our customers and making sure we focus on our products. Innovation needs to be based on what our customers’ needs are, so that we are ahead of the game. We have to stay close to our customers and understand what their businesses need.”

During lockdown Aston Barclay has continued to both win new work and achieve strong conversion rates for its customers. Over the last three months it has won significant new vendors who are already benefitting from the Aston Barclay digital auction service.

The business was able to switch to an online-only offering quickly, enabling a route to market on behalf of its vendors and a Covid-safe buying channel for buyers.