Industry jobs: Roles filled at Autoglass, Halfords, FOD, VLS and Switch

Autoglass appoints new commercial director

Autoglass has appointed Ian Rowlands as its new commercial director to help enhance its offer to customers and accelerate UK growth.

Rowlands will be responsible for leading the commercial, sales, and marketing functions in the business and sit as a member of the executive team.

The company said he will be integral in setting the commercial strategy and driving business performance.

Taxiarchis Konstantopoulos, managing director (MD) at Autoglass, said: “Ian understands our purpose, shares our ambitions, and is a fantastic fit for our people and work culture.

“He has worked with many other global brands and played a crucial role in their success, and so I have no doubt that Ian will be another brilliant addition to our executive team as we look to continue to grow in the years ahead.”

Rowlands has more than 20 years of commercial experience having previously worked with multi-national companies such as P&G, Nestle, Apple, and most recently at GoCompare.

Commenting on his appointment, Rowlands said: “The recent economic uncertainty has meant many businesses have had to innovate and find new solutions that meet the needs of customers today.

“It has never been more important for businesses to listen to customers, understand their pain points, and react to their needs.

“Autoglass is already ahead of the game in living a customer first ethos in everything it does, and I am excited to drive this culture and approach forward as I join the company.”

Halfords appoints Simon Wherry as delivery director

Halfords has announced the appointment of Simon Wherry as group delivery director.

Wherry joins Halfords’ senior leadership team and the group’s IT function where he will be leading the delivery of all technology projects and programmes as well as the group’s engineering capability.

This includes Value Stream (Agile) delivery and the Agile Centre of Excellence and Business Analysis function.

Neil Holden, chief information officer at Halfords, said: “Simon brings invaluable experience in change management and technology at a time when Halfords is undergoing a transformation to a more services focused business, underpinned by technology and our Avayler platform.”

Wherry’s career has spanned technology-focused roles from engineer, to running large scale transformational programmes.

He joins from CapGemini, where he was programme director working in the defence manufacturing arena.

Wherry has also held numerous transformational change delivery roles working with retailers across Europe including portfolio and governance director at Kingfisher (owner of B&Q), Screwfix, Castorama, Brico Depot and Woolworths.

FOD Mobility appoints Sarah Smith as CFO

FOD Mobility Group has appointed Sarah Smith as chief financial officer (CFO).

In her new role, Smith will be driving FOD Mobility Group’s financial management and strategy to help ensure profitable and sustainable growth, the company said.

Justin Whitston, CEO and founder at FOD Mobility Group, said: "I am delighted to welcome Sarah at such an exciting time in the company’s journey. Her extensive financial experience, combined with her strategic and operational expertise, makes her a valuable addition to our leadership team.

"We’re looking forward to working closely with Sarah to continue driving further growth and scaling our business as we expand our innovative and sustainable mobility solutions within the UK and European markets."

Smith was formerly CFO at multi-channel retailer, High Street TV, where she was responsible for leading the finance, operations and IT departments.

Prior to this, she was finance director for Cavalier Marketing and held senior management roles at accounting and consultancy firms, RSM Tenon (formerly Baker Tilly) and BHP.

Mahesh Babu elevated as CEO of Switch

Carbon neutral electric bus and light commercial vehicle (LCV) company, Switch Mobility, has announced the elevation of Mahesh Babu as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Switch.

Dr Andy Palmer, at his request is stepping down as vice chairman and CEO for personal reasons.

To maintain continuity of strategy and execution of plans, the Board has approved the elevation of Babu as CEO of the company. Dheeraj Hinduja will be assuming the role of executive chairman, with immediate effect.

Hinduja said: “I would like to personally thank Andy for his vision and commitment since the inception of Switch and what we have achieved so far would not have been possible without his astute leadership.

“Mahesh has the track record of successfully growing the business in India and I am confident that under his leadership, we can achieve the same in the UK and Europe.”

Michael Hurwitz joins PA Consulting as a partner

Michael Hurwitz is joining PA Consulting (PA) as a partner to help develop the future mobility practice, at the intersect of PA’s Transport and Energy and Utilities sectors.

He will help clients navigate the area of smart mobility, the company said.

Hurwitz joins from PA from Arrival, where he led the vehicle cycle planning process. Prior to this, he was the director of transport innovation at Transport for London (TfL), where he led future mobility policy and operations and work on resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aris Karcanias, global head of energy and utilities at PA Consulting, said: “Michael has a rare blend of experience and a strong track record advising both public and commercial clients on complex energy and mobility issues.

“Michael will play a pivotal role in guiding and helping our clients achieve their goals. He is a fantastic addition to the PA team as we continue to build on our position as the leading advisor shaping the energy transition.”

Vehicle Lining Services promotes youngest general manager

A former part-time stock assistant at Vehicle Lining Services (VLS) has been promoted to become the company’s youngest general manager.

Matt Holland, who began his commercial vehicle career at Guest Truck and Van has taken on the role of divisional general manager at the company, which is part of the wider Guest Motors group.

Holland (27) is the second generation of his family to work for the organisation; his father is parts manager at the company’s head office.

He began his career as a part-time stock assistant, a role which he left to attend university, before returning as a management assistant.

Rob Spittle, MD at Guest Truck and Van, said: “We are delighted to see Matt continue his progress with us, he has excelled in every role he has taken on so far and I am sure that will continue to be the case.

“Developing our people is something that is crucial to the success of Guest Truck and Van group - Matt is a great example of that in practice.”

Holland added: “It has been a fantastic journey for me so far, I’ve really enjoyed being part of a team and learning from my peers at VLS and Guest Truck and Van.

“I am looking forward to the future here - we are entering a really exciting period of growth that will benefit our customers and our team.”