VAUXHALL has announced a series of senior management changes as part of a fundamental business reorganisation to unite its sales functions in a new area called sales, marketing and customer care (aftersales).

From tomorrow (December 1), Vauxhall has pulled together all its sales operations for retail, fleet, Network Q, Masterfit and parts, into a single division that will be led by sales director Bill Parfitt, formerly director of fleet operations. He reports into Ian Coomber, who has been promoted to executive director of sales, marketing and customer care.

The company's fleet sales operation is now headed by Maurice Howkins, who becomes fleet sales director, moving up from fleet operations manager. And Keith Michaels, formerly fleet marketing manager, becomes sales operations manager and will take on extra marketing responsibilities for commercial activities, alongside his current fleet role.

Fleet service will be improved by offering much faster responses to enquiries from fleet managers about issues normally outside the remit of the fleet department by bringing all specialist support functions together, Michaels said. On the retail side, Peter Megus will become retail sales director, returning to the UK from General Motors China.