BMW is looking for a new corporate sales boss after Steve Oliver resigned from the role on Friday (April 13).

He joined the firm at the end of 2016, replacing Matt Bristow, having previously served as UK country manager for Infiniti.

A spokesman for the German manufacturer told Fleet News that the recruitment process to find his replacement would start soon.

Oliver was also responsible for corporate sales at Mini.

Sales for BMW fell by 4.1% in 2017, with 175,101 units registered compared to 182,593 in 2016. However, the decline in registrations for the German carmaker was less than that seen for the overall market, which fell by 5.7%.

True fleet for BMW (combined leasing/contract hire and fleet other registration figures from the SMMT) was also down, with 76,007 units registered in 2017, compared to 86,202 cars in 2016 – an 11.8% decline. It also reduced volume to rental by 8%.

Mini fared much better, reporting a 1.2% fall in overall sales, registering 68,166 units in 2017, compared to 68,984 the previous year.

However, true fleet performance was also down, with Mini registering 21,560 cars in 2017 - 8.4% fewer vehicles than the 23,539 registered in 2016.