Industry jobs: Roles filled at Daf Trucks, Aston Barclay, City Auction Group, Skanska, Char.gy and Believ

David Kiss named new MD at Daf Trucks in the UK

Daf Trucks in the UK has named David Kiss as its new managing director following the departure of Laurence Drake who has decided to pursue a career away from the company.

In his new position, Kiss will report to Richard Zink, director marketing and sales, at Daf Trucks headquarters in Eindhoven.

Kiss has already enjoyed a successful career with Daf Trucks’ parent company for more than 16 years, most recently occupying the position of sales director Paccar Parts Europe. Previously, he was MD at DAF Hungary and the company-owned dealer Hungarotruck for a period of three years.

Daf Trucks thanked Drake for his many years in helping DAF Trucks grow in the UK, while wishing him best wishes in his new role.

Aston Barclay strengthens senior management team

Aston Barclay has announced a series of changes in its senior management team, with Mark Hankey, chief revenue officer transitioning to a more flexible working arrangement.

He will continue to support the sales team which is led by current director of sales Nick Thompson. He now assumes a leadership role within the Aston Barclay senior leadership team and will work with Hankey to welcome new vendors to the business.

Aston Barclay also welcomes Sean Russell as its new director of marketing. He has been tasked with further building the Aston Barclay and The Car Buying Group (TCBG) brands within their relevant business sectors.

Justin Lane who is currently Aston Barclay’s chief operating officer, now takes on the role of chief customer officer. He will provide dedicated leadership to support the sale of more than 100,000 cars and vans annually by delivering industry-leading customer service and results.

Lisa Grimsley joins the company as its new group chief operating officer following extensive experience in the auction business with both BCA and Aston Barclay.

She will oversee all group operations including auctions, logistics and refurbishment, and will also take on operational accountability for running TCBG.

Tom Marley has left the business by mutual agreement in order to pursue other opportunities.

Leading the new-look Aston Barclay Group is executive chairman Greg MacLeod. He said: “These management team changes reflect the group’s commitment to growth and delivering exceptional customer service.

“We are confident they will help us focus on pulling the key levers that drive performance for our group and customers.”

Char.gy appoints John Lewis as new CEO

Char.gy has appointed John Lewis with a target to deliver a 100,000 strong network of public electric vehicle (EV) chargers across the UK by 2030.

Lewis, a business leader with more than 30 years of experience has previously worked with energy infrastructure specialists, Aggreko and Macquarie Infrastructure owned Airwave Solutions.

Under Lewis’ leadership, Char.gy has set an ambitious new installation target of 100,000 public chargers by 2030.

To reach this goal Char.gy will focus on the installation of its lamppost and bollard chargers on-street and within car parks, community housing and at public venues like hotels.

Char.gy says it also has new charging products in development to help it offer a wider range of charging solutions. 

Lewis said: "I am incredibly excited to be joining the talented and driven team at Char.gy at such a crucial and transformative time.

“Char.gy is built on the ambition of bringing accessible and convenient charging options to every driver in the UK.

“On this trajectory, we are facilitating electric vehicle adoption and spearheading the energy transition.

“The potential impact of our mission is enormous - I am looking forward to both driving the business towards its goals and partnering with local authorities to make lower emissions a reality.”

Richard Stobart, founder of Char.gy, added: “As we gear up for the next stage of our expansion, I am delighted to welcome John as our new CEO to lead our business towards its ambitious goals.” 

New role for Darren Betteridge at City Auction Group

City Auction Group has named Darren Betteridge as its new group strategy and business development director.

Betteridge has worked at BCA for more than 40 years with a track record for growing volume and profitability through new business, innovation and business efficiencies.

Formerly general manager at Blackbushe, he was remarketing 60,000 to 160,000 vehicles per annum.

He joined BCA in 1982 and was the youngest auctioneer at 17 and the youngest branch manager based at Nottingham. He opened the new centre in January 1994 at Victoria Park and was appointed general manager in 1995, before being appointed regional operations director for the group.

In his new role at City Auction Group Darren will be responsible for overseeing and developing relationships with corporate vendors, franchised dealerships, car supermarkets and LCV suppliers.

He said: “I intend to bring additional energy, innovation, new business and more buyers to the group; and share a wealth of knowledge to grow the team and attract the best talent in the industry.

“I have been impressed with how the board have established City Auction Group in a very competitive marketplace and look forward to working with Michael to take the business forward and to the next level.  The future is purple.”

Michael Tomalin, CEO of City Auction Group, added: “We are honoured to have Darren joining our senior management team. With a wealth of experience in the motor industry, Darren is a very well-respected remarketing leader and will be a great asset to the business.

“I am looking forward to working closely with Darren to accelerate the Group’s growth over the next 18 months, alongside our PurpleRock defleet and logistics business.”

Katy Dowding appointed president and CEO Skanska UK 

Skanska UK has appointed Katy Dowding at its new president and CEO, taking over from Gregor Craig who is to retire.  

Dowding, who is currently a member of Skanska UK’s executive management team, has held a diverse range of commercial, operational and strategic leadership roles, including managing director of Skanska UK’s facilities management operation for five years during her 20-year career with the company.  

Since 2017, she has held the role of executive vice president with responsibility for Skanska UK’s building and building services businesses.

She is also a member of the Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture board, overseeing the delivery of the London tunnels section of High Speed 2.  

Dowding said: “I’m honoured and excited to be given the opportunity to lead Skanska UK. It’s a fantastic business with hugely talented people who help our customers to deliver successful projects and a lasting legacy for society.

“We are very much focused on partnering with our customers and supply chain, helping to deliver on the big priorities for our industry, including improved productivity, greater diversity and inclusion, and a net-zero carbon future.” 

Adam McDonald succeeds Dowding as executive vice president for Skanska UK’s building and building services operations.

Since joining as an undergraduate 20 years ago, he has held senior strategic and commercial roles.

For the past five years he has operated as managing director of Skanska UK’s building services division, which delivers facilities management and mechanical, electrical and public health engineering. 

EV charge point operator Believ announces senior management changes

After successfully leading the launch of electric vehicle charge point operator Liberty Charge, and overseeing its subsequent re-brand to Believ, Neil Isaacson will be leaving the company to join a business in the hydrogen industry.

Perran Moon, chief marketing officer, will become interim chief executive officer (CEO) until a permanent CEO is appointed later this year. The recruitment process for a new CEO is currently at an advanced stage.

During his time with Believ, Isaacson has helped to secure significant investment to take the business from concept to becoming an established charge point operator in the space of three years.

The company – a 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Zouk Capital - will have 4,000 sockets installed by the end of 2023 and has already delivered more than 2.4 million kWh of charge, amounting to a saving of nearly 200,000 kg of CO2 in line with its mission of achieving ‘cleaner air for all’.

As well as supporting dozens of local authorities in realising their residents’ EV charging needs, Believ also recently launched its new B2B proposition.

Isaacson said:“My journey with Believ is one that I will always remember fondly, and I am proud of what we have achieved. The team we have built is extraordinary – a group of people who care so much for our goal of cleaner air for all, and work tirelessly to build our proposition.”

Jonathan Pearson, chair of Believ and MD of Capital Allocation and Business Control at Liberty Global, added: “Neil’s energy and drive have been key to getting Believ to the position it is in today, as a CPO capable of delivering an end-to-end charge point service at scale and pace to address the Government’s ambition of installing 300,000 publicly accessible charge points by 2030.

“He leaves the business in excellent shape and we continue to work to have a new permanent CEO in place later this year.”