Truckman has appointed former platoon commander Ian Sinclair as OEM and European sales manager.

Sinclair (pictured), who served in The Black Watch Royal Regiment of Scotland, has been appointed to help build relationships with distribution partners in these markets and the key Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) based on the continent.

The appointment comes as part of an export expansion drive by Truckman with a particular focus on the Northern European market.

The company is aiming to more than double its export activity by targeting countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Luxembourg, Spain and Sweden.

Sinclair won an Army Scholarship whilst attending the University of Sheffield. Liverpool-born he served in the army for six years and was based both in Germany where he was a Platoon Commander and Catterick, North Yorkshire, where he was responsible for the training of troops.

After leaving the Army he took up a job in recruitment, before moving into military sales – where he was responsible for negotiating multi-million-pound deals with the MOD and major contractors.

“I want to build on the success achieved over the past 12 months, since Truckman started to focus more on international sales,” said Sinclair.

“The remit is to focus specifically on the European market. While the UK remains Europe’s largest pick-up truck market, the combined activity in Germany, France, Spain and Sweden equate to a similar size, which offers a significant opportunity for Truckman.

“British manufacturing is well-regarded in Europe and there is a real opportunity to grow the company’s presence in the market.”

Truckman’s chairman Mike Wheeler said: “I’m very pleased to welcome Ian to Truckman, who will be a strong ambassador for Truckman in Europe. With Ian’s fantastic skill and knowledge base, we are hoping to further build on the recent export success.

“Brexit provides an opportunity for British manufacturers to show their desire to trade with Europe and demonstrate the quality products and services we have to offer the market.”