Industry jobs: Roles filled at Whistl, Daf, Matrix iQ and Point S Tyre & Autocare

Whistl appoints head of operations

Whistl has appointed Mark Lawrenson as its new head of operations for its Downstream Access (DSA) business.

Whistl is the largest DSA operator in the UK with more than 50% of the market and Lawrenson will be responsible for its DSA hubs in Bristol, Bolton, Bedford, Glasgow and Belfast, processing 3.6 billion items annually.

He joins Whistl from Royal Mail where he has spent the past 12 years in previous leadership roles. He will report into Dave Twiddle, director of operations (Mail and Parcel Business)

Alistair Cochrane, chief executive of Whistl, said: “We are delighted to welcome Mark to the team. Head of operations DSA is a new role and Mark will ensure that Whistl continues to provide cost effective and efficient services to our DSA customers.”

Point S Tyre & Autocare appoints Tony Valentine

Point S Tyre & Autocare has announced the appointment of Tony Valentine as fleet manager.

Valentine, formerly a business development manager for the network, will be responsible for establishing and growing Point S’ presence in the fleet market.

This will involve building close relationships with fleet managers and working closely with Point S Tyre & Autocare members to develop the network’s one-stop shop for fleet service, repair and maintenance (SMR).

Valentine has held senior sales and operational roles at the likes of Yokohama, Goodyear, ATS Euromaster and Dunlop Tyres. 

He said: “Helping to launch the Point S network in the fleet market is a unique opportunity, and I’m so excited to show this new customer base what we’re all about. 

“Our fully trained technicians can cater to fleets of varying scales, from international brands to smaller, local businesses.

“Thanks to our consultative approach, our fleet customers can rest assured that the performance of each and every vehicle is maximised.

“We position our Point S members as ‘local experts with global backing’ and I’m confident that this will resonate with our new fleet customers.”

Wayne Daniel, UK network operations manager, said: “The Point S fleet model is already an attractive and popular option for many prominent fleet businesses in France, Germany, and across Europe.

“Our European fleet customers benefit from excellent geographical coverage, online booking, accurate reporting, competitive multi-brand offers, specially dedicated procedures and excellent service.

“Our expectation is that, with the right application, the UK market will be no different.”  

Daf Trucks senior management moves

Daf Trucks has announced a senior management reshuffle and the introduction of a new, dedicated EV sales and service function to support the company’s expanding zero-emissions product and service offering.

Nigel Beckett (pictured above) is appointed UK parts sales and marketing director following the retirement of Trevor Mitchell. He has scaled the career ladder at Daf Trucks after joining the company in June 2005, fulfilling a number of senior management roles; most recently as business planning director.

That position is now filled by Gareth Halliwell (pictured below) who departs his role as dealer sales director – a responsibility he has held since 2019.

Halliwell is also a ‘Daf man’ having embarked upon his career with PACCAR Financial (Daf Trucks’ in-house finance division) in 2007 before moving to truck sales in 2012.

He is replaced by Adam Russell who becomes UK dealer sales director. Also, a long-serving employee at Daf Trucks, he joined the market-leader in 2008 gaining a thorough grounding in parts and fleet sales positions before his most recent role as business services manager.

New, dedicated EV sales and service function

The transition to low and zero emission vehicles is likely to be the most significant strategic challenge for Daf Trucks, and the wider commercial vehicle industry during the next decade.

To meet this challenge, Adam Bennett has been appointed to head-up a new, dedicated EV sales and service function based at Daf Trucks’ UK headquarters in Haddenham.

Supporting Bennett is newly-appointed Amy Carter, EV operations manager, who has been a technical trainer for Daf Trucks since 2018, recently specialising in EVs.

David Price, previously Daf Trucks’ EV expert and municipal sales manager, leaves the company to fulfil an EV sales and support role with home counties Daf Dealer group, HTC.

Jason Gill joins Matrix iQ

Matrix iQ has announced that it has appointed Jason Gill as its new sales director.

Joining from Masternaut, where he spent five years as sales director for Leasing & Channel, he brings with him a wealth of experience having spent over 25 years’ working in the fleet industry.

He will focus on helping the business continue to grow via new partnerships as it expands its range of innovative solutions.

Mark Packman, Matrix iQ CEO, said: “We are delighted to bring Jason into the business at a time when we are scaling up for further growth.

“Following recent investment, we made the decision to rebrand to reflect our evolution from telematics supplier to complete driver safety partner, and the success of our SmartLink and DRiiVE risk management solutions since has been incredible.”

Gill added: “Matrix’s progress has been phenomenal in the last few years. There is a real entrepreneurial feel to the business, and this is reflected by the cutting-edge new solutions they now offer. Their TSP agnostic approach is revolutionising the way insurers think about accessing telematics data.”

He continued: “I’m particularly excited to have the opportunity to work alongside two leaders in the industry, in Alison Moriarty and Stewart Lightbody, as we bring Matrix’s new DRiiVE risk management solution to the market.”