KEY appointments in the fleet industry.

David Coop all set to pay dividends for SsangYong

SSANGYONG UK has announced the appointment of Dave Coop as commercial director. Coop joins SsangYong from Citroen UK, where he has held a number of senior positions, most recently director of network development.

INSURANCE solutions company CCL UK has appointed Barrie Hobbs as corporate business development consultant. With 20 years’ experience in the fleet and insurance industries, Hobbs has worked in senior positions for Autoglass, Universal Salvage, Universal Vehicle Services and Helphire.

HELPHIRE Group has made Martin Ward, managing director of Albany, the accident management assistance company. The move follows Helphire’s acquisition of Albany in October 2004. Ward has been in the insurance industry since 1995 as co-founder and commercial director of Rarrigini & Rosso Group, which operated Fleet UK and ARM risk management services.

CUSTOM Fleet has appointed David Mclachlan as senior fleet sales manager for the south-east region, including London. Mclachlan will be responsible for new business development and building relationships with corporate customers. His previous experience includes four years within fleet at Vauxhall Motors.

Three new members of staff have joined Volkswagen Fleet Services as it tries to gain a 10% share of the UK fleet market. Andrew Stuart has been appointed regional fleet manager for Volkswagen, replacing Kerry Clark. Stuart will be managing a team of three area fleet managers in the north of England, and will work closely with key contract hire and leasing customers. The Fleet Services function in the south of England has also been expanded with the appointment of two new area fleet managers, Lance Myhill and Toby Winyard. Myhill joins Volkswagen from a civil engineering company where he was a purchasing manager. Prior to that, Myhill worked in truck sales for Mercedes-Benz. Winyard joins Volkswagen Fleet Services from LeasePlan, after eight years with the company, where he was responsible for new business and account management.

STAPLETONS Tyre Services has recruited a new head of marketing. Andrew Long joins from art materials firm Winsor and Newton, where he was marketing director. Prior to that, Long worked in the white goods sector and also in office products. He has been tasked with implementing a strategic marketing and communications approach throughout all of Stapletons’ business channels, including retail, wholesale, dealership and commercial and agricultural.

ARRIVA Vehicle Rental has appointed Dom McKenna as managing director from November. McKenna will be responsible for guiding the business forward as it seeks growth and development opportunities. He was previously operations director at Parcelforce Worldwide. A graduate of Bradford University, he has held other positions in the Royal Mail and Post Office Group, including director and general manager for Europe, where he focused on turning businesses around and developing sales.

INCHCAPE Retail has appointed Connor Mc-Cormack as finance director. McCormack joins Inchcape from B&Q, where he was director of commercial and supply chain finance. His first priority is to visit as many Inchcape dealerships as possible; meeting staff, gaining an understanding of local markets and learning how each individual business operates. He then plans to make informed decisions that support business growth objectives.

DAMIAN James has been appointed head of transport provision at Bracknell Forest Borough Council. James takes up the new position after leaving South West Water, where he was fleet manager.