Industry jobs: Roles filled at Motorpoint, Engineius and Packfleet

New chief operating officer appointed at Motorpoint

Motorpoint has appointed Kalwant Singh as its new chief operating officer (COO).

In his new role, Singh will focus on driving operational performance and strengthening quality standards. He will be responsible for Motorpoint’s preparation teams across its preparation centres nationwide.

Motorpoint said he will work closely with the management team to deliver greater levels of efficiency whilst maintaining the high standards of car preparation for Motorpoint customers.

His core focus is on ensuring the preparation network continues to evolve, adapt and scale itself to deal with Motorpoint’s future growth plans, said the car retailer.

Singh joins Motorpoint from Dreams, where he spent three years as COO, responsible for supply chain, manufacturing, health and safety and trading their Feather & Black brand.

Prior to this, he held roles with Steinhoff International as managing director of Harveys furniture brand as well at DHL (VP operations), building his career prior to these appointments with Home Retail Group, Yodel, Comet and Tesco.

Mark Carpenter, CEO at Motorpoint, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Kal to Motorpoint and are thrilled to have someone of his talent and calibre and with such a keen commitment to operational excellence join our team.

“This is a critical time for Motorpoint as it is for the UK automotive retail sector. The entire space in which we operate is becoming increasingly competitive and factors like the cost-of-living crisis make it even more important than ever that our customers not only have the best quality product with the promise of unbeatable prices but also have the best possible customer experience when they shop with us in-store or online.”

Engineius expands leadership team

Engineius has appointed Ritz Patel as its new IT director and Samantha Thomas as head of network strategy. 

Patel joined Engineius in 2017, pre-launch, after more than 15 years with the AA. Enginieus said Patel brought with him a wealth of industry knowledge and technical experience and has progressed with the company in developing the technology that underpins the customer offering. 

He has also been instrumental in developing the business' tech platform and data environment, Engineius said.

Chris Clibbery, founder/director, of Engineius, said: “Ritz was only the second person we employed at Engineius and was with us when we made our very first movement! He has always been an integral part of our development team and really deserves his promotion to IT director.”

Thomas joins Engineius from Deliveroo and brings experience in managing and planning logistics. The Engineius network has tripled in size, and her analytical approach will help ensure that it continues to scale and build on its high level of efficiency, the company said.

Clibbery added: “Samantha has a passion for the detail and making sure that the facts drive decisions. Her findings will support Ritz and the network team to keep Engineius at the top of the game. We are delighted to have her on board.” 

Packfleet appoints new COO

Packfleet has announced that Fern Wake has been appointed as COO.

Wake joins from Cazoo, where she led a team of 1,000 as chief of operations. Packfleet said she is an experienced COO and director level business leader, bringing 15 years of experience to Packfleet’s operations team.

Starting out at Amazon, her time has been spent working across different disciplines of the business, with projects covering moving business sectors (both in-house and outsourced) and relocating operational sites.

Succeeding through several operations’ director roles, Wake has worked across a portfolio of online start-ups, including Amazon, LoveFilm, MedicAnimal, Farmdrop and Cazoo.

Wake has specialised in the management of multinational operations and large teams within the tech and FMCG industries.

Tristan Thomas, CEO and co-founder at Packfleet, said: “We’re so pleased to welcome Fern to the team.

"Her background is impressive, and we’re excited for her to be a hugely important part of the next chapter of Packfleet’s growth. It’s an exciting time for the business and a great moment to focus on scaling our operations so we can continue to grow sustainably.”