Glass’s is strengthening its sales and marketing team with the appointment of a new sales director, as Ed Hummel leaves Honda UK after an 18 month period leading its fleet team.

Hummel is expected to join Glass’s on October 1 to lead its entire UK sales team.

The new British built Civic has been well received by fleet customers and is driving Honda's 16% increase in fleet sales YTD. Honda's true fleet sales (excluding Motability and major daily rental sales) have increased 34% year on year.

Dave Hodgetts, managing director, Honda UK, said: "I'd like to thank Ed for his great contribution to Honda over the last 18 months, he has been instrumental in building Honda’s presence in the fleet market. His new post at Glass’s is an excellent opportunity and I wish him every success for the future.

"The corporate market will remain a key focus for Honda especially with the new 1.6 i-DTEC engine due to be launched in the Civic later in 2012. This new variant will deliver excellent performance and very low CO2 emissions – the ideal combination for a corporate car."

Michael Bergmann, managing director at Glass’s, said: "We’re delighted to be welcoming Ed to the Glass’s team.

"It’s been a really busy year for us with the launch of Radar, our spot pricing product, and more recently the launch of G2, our brand new valuations system.

"Throughout this period of change our focus as always remains on providing the best service to our customers, and we believe Ed’s experience and expertise in sales will help us to grow our business and to transform UK sales performance over the months and years to come."

Having also working with Ford and Volkswagen in fleet and sales management, Ed brings with him a wealth of industry knowledge that will be invaluable to Glass’s.

Hummel said: "I will be leaving Honda with some very fond memories. Over the past 18 months I’ve worked with a great team and had the pleasure to launch the new version of the iconic Civic. I know Honda has a very exciting future with some brilliant products set to be launched over the next couple of years - I will be keeping a close eye on their progress.

"I’m excited about the journey Glass’s is embarking on – with a real focus on moving forward and bringing better insight to the industry. I look forward to embracing the challenges that lie ahead and believe I can make a positive impact on the Glass’s team."