Industry jobs: Roles filled at Toyota GB and Silverstone Leasing

Toyota GB announces senior management changes

Toyota GB, the national sales and marketing company for Toyota and Lexus in the UK, has announced changes in its senior management team.

Rob Giles, director, customer services is moving on secondment to Toyota Motor Europe (TME) to take up the role of head of value chain (Europe).

His departure will see Rob McKendrick promoted to the customer services directorship from his current role as general manager, network operations.

Giles joined the company in 1993. After initially taking on field-based management roles in sales and aftersales, he became franchise representation manager, then brand and retail manager before being promoted to general manager, marketing communications in 2002.

Further general manager roles followed up to 2013 when he was appointed director, HR, corporate planning, CSR legal. He moved to the role of director, customer services in January 2019.

McKendrick joined the company in 2008 as a manager in area sales and subsequent value chain. He gained a promotion to head of business planning and went on to join the sales division in a regional role in 2014 before promotion to general manager network development in 2016.

Following the creation of the business’s operations department in 2018, McKendrick moved to the role of general manager network operations.

Agustín Martín, TGB president and chief executive officer (CEO) said: “Rob’s expertise across all areas of the business gives him an excellent foundation on which to help make our European operations ever stronger.

“It is a pleasure to see someone with his experience, maturity and passion having the opportunity to expand his career at TME and I wish him every success.

“In his work as general manager, Rob McKendrick has demonstrated great skills in developing individuals and building a strong team ethos. With his promotion to director, he will bring considerable experience to the leadership team as we transform our business.”

Both changes are effective from January 1, 2023.

Silverstone Leasing announces new hires

Silverstone Leasing has added new members of staff to its customer care department.

Apprentice Amber Thorpe is the fifth member of the Silverstone Leasing team to have come from local employment and apprenticeship training agency Starting Off.

Emily Harris has also joined the fold, after more than 10 years of working as a customer service advisor in the banking industry.

Harris is working in the Embrace Leasing side of the business, the personal contract hire arm of the firm.

Scott Norville, managing director (MD) of Silverstone Leasing, said: “I have always been impressed by the calibre of employee offered by Starting Off and Amber is no exception. She has fitted in well to the customer care department and is working closely with Aby and Michelle to learn the ropes and deliver the best possible service to our highly valued customers.

“Emily is a brilliant addition to our team, and I look forward to seeing her grow within the role and help us to improve the already excellent care we offer our clients.”

Safe Fleet appoints new MD for Durite and Labcraft

Safe Fleet has appointed Steve Powell as new MD for its UK businesses, Durite and Labcraft

Powell will lead both businesses, which are collectively known as Commercial Vehicle Europe (CVE).

The company said Powell has experience in the commercial vehicle market, having most recently served as the vice president of Webasto’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business unit, where he managed over 400 employees across 17 subsidiaries.

Prior to this, he held a variety of roles within Webasto to provide power and thermal management solutions to the automotive industry.

Michael Schulte, president of Safe Fleet, said: “We are pleased to have Steve on board. With his extensive leadership experience in Europe, Steve is a great asset to further strengthen our position as the leading global supplier of safety solutions for fleet vehicles.”

Van Sales UK appoints Paul Cox as sales director

Van Sales UK has appointed Paul Cox as new sale director.

Cox brings experience to the role having most recently worked as sales director at Vertu Lease Cars, sales director at Vansdirect and various roles at Euro Commercials Mercedes-Benz, including van sales director, group van sales manager and retail van sales manager.

Cox has inherited a team of 11 sales executives, which the company aims to expand to 18.

Commenting on his appointment, Cox said: "These are exciting times for the business and that was a big part of the attraction for me to get on board.

"Van Sales UK has great potential for growth and my mission is to drive that forward as far and as fast as possible.

"I’m also creating a specialised business development team, to focus on promoting the advantages we can offer to prospective new customers, while the retail team will  devote their attention to dealing with incoming inquiries."