Europcar has appointed Andy Furlong as its new director of marketing and ecommerce for the UK business.

With a decade's experience in marketing for the travel industry, Furlong will be particularly focused on creating digital marketing campaigns to grow online sales. He reports to Nick Harwood, sales and marketing director for Europcar UK Group.

Furlong joins Europcar from Travel Horizon Group (Aix en Provence), Europe's largest online ski business, where he was chief marketing officer. Prior to that, he held high level marketing positions at Mark Warner Ltd, Island Cruises and Thomson Holidays. 

"Europcar is a strong brand in a highly competitive marketplace," explained Furlong. "This new role, therefore, allows me to use my travel industry experience to exploit the best opportunities for the brand across all marketing channels.

"Europcar has a strong, strategic view of where the business and all its brands are going. This is supported by a great team and I am looking forward to working with them to achieve the business's objectives, using a combination of website development, e-CRM, affiliate programmes and brand communication to drive sales. 

“In particular, I am looking forward to developing new ecommerce initiatives to really enhance the business both domestically in the UK and outbound to Europe."

Ken McCall, managing director, Europcar UK Group, said:  "Andy brings a wealth of experience in ecommerce and the travel industry, making him the ideal person to create exciting campaigns that reach out to our customers.  

“His appointment is part of our on-going investment in the development of our brands and I am very confident that he will be able to create clear customer messages that promote our expanding range of services, including vans and prestige vehicle hire."