Industry jobs: Roles filled at Toyota, Goodyear, CD Auction Group, Carzam and Activate Group

14 Sep 2020 by Jessica Maguire

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Toyota has announced Agustin Martin will take the role of president and managing director of Toyota (GB) from October 1, 2020.

Replacing Paul Van der Burgh who is retiring from the company, Martin is currently CEO of the London-based Toyota Connected Europe (TCEU) and vice president connected technologies at Toyota Motor Europe.

In his current role, he has been focusing on developing digital technologies that will enable Toyota future mobility business.

Martin built a career within Toyota European operations starting in 1995, including president and CEO of Toyota Spain from 2015, Toyota Motor Europe (TME) marketing director from 2012 and previously TME product planning general manager.

He holds a degree in business studies, specialising in marketing from the University of Valencia (1987-1992).

Dr Johan van Zyl, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said: “I am sure Agustin is a very worthy successor (of Paul) and will use his experience, especially in mobility and connected technologies, to keep Toyota GB at the forefront of customer satisfaction.”

Goodyear appoints Kate Norton sales general manager

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Goodyear has appointed Kate Norton as sales general manager commercial UK and Ireland.

In her new role, Norton will be responsible for leading Goodyear’s commercial activity throughout the UK and Ireland, driving growth across truck tyre sales and uptake of Goodyear’s fleet offering, Goodyear Total Mobility.

Having spent over 10 years with Goodyear, most recently as head of sales capability Europe, the company says she has extensive knowledge of the industry and has previously managed some of the company’s largest consumer accounts in the UK, bringing strong sales coaching skills to support the ongoing development of the commercial team.

Marc Preedy, managing director of truck replacement Europe at Goodyear, said: “These are challenging times for the wider commercial industry, but the skills and experience with which Kate will lead the team are sure to be invaluable.

"We wish her luck and are excited to get to work.”

CD Auction Group supports growth with senior hires

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CD Auction Group has made two key appointments to support its growth plans, with James Dower joining as account director and Andy Pearce as operations director.

Dower joins from remarketing company Adesa, he has over 30 years’ experience and was previously the senior editor of Cap HPI’s Black Book, along with holding senior roles at Network Q and Pendragon.

He will be responsible for leading sales growth and customer expectations.

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Andy Pearce will lead the operations team across the CD Auction UK sites, he joins the company from an international remarketing consultancy and has also held senior roles at Manheim and GRS.

Karl Howkins, managing director at Auction Services for the SMH Group, said: “We are growing rapidly due to the focus we are placing on customers and it’s vital we provide the best service and add value to our customers with a talented and knowledgeable team.

“Both James and Andy bring a wealth of experience to their roles which I’m sure will benefit our customers as we continue to expand.”

Karl Howkins, former managing director of Citroen UK, joined the business in July with a remit to lead the auction company through the next stage of its development and integration into the SMH Group.

CD Auction Group recently reported unprecedented sales performance as the industry emerged from lockdown. It saw record sales volume in July with passenger cars performing well with an average of 105% of CAP.

It attributes the growth to its digital-first strategy and expects sales through online and mobile channels to account for over 60% of volumes in 2020.

Carzam appoints new CEO ahead of digital used car market launch

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Carzam has announced the appointment of Kirk O’Callaghan as its new CEO.

O’Callaghan will be joining Carzam’s senior management team from Sytner Group’s CarShop business, where he is currently operations director.

Carzam is a new digital company that will offer consumers an online experience for used cars.

The operation is headed up by John Bailey, former president of Cox Automotive International and Peter Waddell, owner of Big Motoring World.

Peter Waddell, owner of Big Motoring World, said: “Kirk has a wealth of automotive experience and a great track record and we know he’ll be a tremendous asset to Carzam as we enter our critical launch phase.”

O’Callaghan is set to join Carzam’s senior management team later this year.

Activate Group appoint Lorna Turner to head of commercial role

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Activate Group has announced the appointment of Lorna Turner to the newly created role of head of commercial.

Turner will be responsible for developing new commercial relationships for the business.

Turner, formerly of Pukka Insure and Action 365, brings a wealth of experience in the insurance sector to Activate Group.

Mark Wilcox, chairman at Activate Group, said: “Lorna is a fantastic addition to the team, she is well known in the industry with a reputation for demanding customer experience excellence and delivering to the needs of clients.

“The trajectory of Activate Group has been phenomenal this year, with existing clients awarding more volume and multiple new contracts secured, not only that but we’ve got some exciting news in the pipeline too.”

Turner added: "I am looking forward to getting to know my new clients well and to working on their behalf to offer great products and services that exceed expectations.”