Northgate Vehicle Hire has appointed a new UK managing director.

Eddie Aston has joined the business after previously holding several executive positions with multinational companies, notably 13 years with DHL in divisional chief executive officer roles and, more recently, UK and Ireland CEO and global COO for security firm G4S.

Aston said: “Northgate is an excellent business which is in a strong position as the market leader in its industry.  Part of Northgate’s appeal is its ability to serve large and small customers’ needs equally well, from national fleet managers to small independent businesses, across a wide range of sectors.”

“There is enormous potential for growth, and by ensuring that our proposition is fully focused on our customers, we can build on Northgate’s existing success to take the company to ever greater heights. I am excited to be leading the development of the proposition and growth plans with the talented team here at Northgate, to consolidate our position as the UK’s leading supplier of complete and cost effective LCV solutions.”

Aston’s appointment is part of a strategic focus to extend the Northgate offering into new markets through the adoption of new technologies and new services, and by building on the significant investment in fleet, branch and workshop infrastructure over the past 2 years.

The company has enjoyed a healthy period of growth in recent years and announced strong interim results for the half year ending on October 31, 2015 with underlying operating profit of £33.4 million in the UK and Ireland. As at October 31, 2015, Northgate had 47,500 vehicles on hire, with growth in the SME market of 800 during the half year.

The company opened five new branches in the 12 months from October 2014 to 2015, taking the total number of branches in the UK and Ireland to 77.