Nexus Vehicle Rental has appointed Chris McGarry as IT director to grow its technological capabilities and develop new products and services.

With more than 20 years’ IT experience, McGarry has amassed a wealth of knowledge, successfully building and expanding IT teams and infrastructure in various business sectors to support commercial objectives, says Nexus.

He was head of IT at holiday price comparison site Icelolly, where he restructured the IT department and implemented processes to resolve performance and stability issues, ultimately contributing to the sale of the company for £17m.

He began his career at leading healthcare software and services provider EMIS Group where he was responsible for establishing IT teams and developing infrastructure, including the building and running of data centres holding NHS patient records.

McGarry’s appointment will enable current IT director Simon Hodgson to move into a role with a total focus on new product development for Nexus.

McGarry said: “I was attracted to Nexus because it is a forward-thinking, ambitious company with a very clear growth ambition.

“The company has a desire to develop, build and bring to market innovative technological products and services, and I look forward to growing the business’ IT capabilities while overseeing the development and rollout of cutting-edge solutions for the daily rental sector.”

Nexus has emerged as a leading software developer within the rental industry with its credentials including designing and building the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association’s (BVRLA) risk management software, RISC Online, which is now accessible by over 2.75m vehicles.

Nexus CEO David Brennan said: “This is a strategic appointment that will enable Simon Hodgson, our current IT director, to concentrate his time on faster product development for our clients.

“To bring someone on-board with Chris’s calibre and breadth of experience shows we are investing in the right people to grow our business.

“Chris’s experience of building IT teams and infrastructure coupled with Simon’s development expertise means we are perfectly placed to build and white label more products and services at a faster rate, to the benefit of our existing clients and the wider industry.

“This is an exciting time for Nexus as we seek to grow the business and cement our reputation as an industry-leading technology-led company within the daily rental sector and the expansion of our IT offer is crucial to fulfilling these objectives.”