Industry jobs: Roles filled at Kwik Fit, Holman, Fleet Assist, Nexus Rental and Autorola UK

Kwik Fit appoints new business development director

Kwik Fit has appointed Pete Marden as business development director with a specific focus on servicing, maintenance and repair (SMR).

In rejoining Kwik Fit, Marden returns to where he began his automotive career, having first joined the company as an apprentice around 25 years ago. 

After progressing into management roles in centre operations, Marden was appointed head of core fleet and business development, a role he held until 2017. He then joined Halfords, where he was most recently director of B2B and fleet.

As business development director, Marden will lead the growth of Kwik Fit’s SMR proposition, especially in supporting fleet customers.

He will play a key role in deciding the future strategy for SMR across Kwik Fit, including supplier relationships, capital expenditure and the expansion of the network.

He will also take on responsibility for Kwik Fit Club, the company’s tyre and servicing subscription offering.

Marden will report to Dan Joyce, retail operations director at Kwik Fit.  He said: “Adding Pete to our leadership team will help strengthen our offering and deepen client relationships. Pete will also play a key role in building our SMR share outside the fleet sector. 

“We believe that the rapidly evolving car parc presents significant potential for independent providers who are able to invest in skills and infrastructure. We are looking to capitalise on this opportunity and this appointment is a statement of Kwik Fit’s on-going intent to lead the automotive aftermarket in this area.”

Marden added: “The investment the company has been making in people, technology and the centre and mobile network is clear to see.

“Kwik Fit has always had the strongest tyre management offering in the sector and I look forward to helping take the SMR proposition to the next level and build even stronger partnerships with our customers.”

Holman appoints Mark Robbins as head of client relations

Holman has appointed Mark Robbins as head of client relations to strengthen strategic partnerships and elevate customer engagement.

Robbins has more than 20 years’ experience in the automotive leasing sector, including spending the past six years at Holman.

His new role is focused around building trust between Holman and its client base, working to make the relationship more strategic and meaningful.

He said: “We already have strong foundations with our clients, and now we have an exciting opportunity to go even further – deepening those relationships, delivering fresh insight and bringing real innovation to the table.

“Relationship building has always been at the core of what I do – creating real connections, understanding each client’s world and delivering on our promises.”

Rory Mackinnon, commercial director at Holman, added: “I am delighted with Mark’s appointment to head up our client relations activity.

“I am confident that through Mark’s leadership, the team will continue to build stronger relationships and provide strategic support to improve our customers’ operations as well as take true advantage of Holman’s comprehensive fleet management services.”

Autorola UK appoints George Fitzpatrick as its new sales director

Autorola UK has announced the appointment of George Fitzpatrick as its new sales director, reporting into managing director, Neil Frost.

In this new role, Fitzpatrick will lead Autorola UK’s commercial strategy across its three core divisions – the Marketplace wholesale online remarketing platform, Autorola Solutions’ asset and workflow management system and Indicata’s used car data intelligence.

Fitzpatrick brings with him more than 24 years of sales leadership experience in the automotive industry, having worked both in the UK and internationally with a range of respected brands including JLR and DEKRA.

His appointment comes at a time when the wider Autorola Group is expanding globally in 25 countries with the UK business continuing to grow its range of blue-chip dealer group, fleet and OEM clients and its internal team.

Neil Frost, Autorola UK’s managing director, said: “We are pleased to welcome George and his wealth of automotive experience to drive the commercial success across our three UK business units.

“We look forward to him enhancing our market presence and client support plus expanding into new market segments and optimising revenue growth with our partner companies.”

Fitzpatrick added: “We are seeing a decisive shift in the industry, as more remarketing partners transition from traditional vehicle disposal models to embrace the speed, intelligence, and trust built into our digital marketplace.

“Our mission is to enable the next generation of remarketing, fleet management, and data-driven mobility solutions—with the customer at the centre of every innovation.”

Sara Smith promoted to Fleet Assist’s vehicle supply and funding director

Fleet Assist has promoted Sara Smith to the position of vehicle supply and funding director 11 months after joining the business.

Smith has spent the past few months conducting a comprehensive review of the supply and funding services Fleet Assist provides to a niche customer base of independent rental companies and garages that require courtesy vehicles and mobile service units.

Already, Smith’s experience is paying dividends with increased levels of customer engagement by offering tailored solutions for their individual needs, said Fleet Assist.

Its funding facility portfolio is on course for significant growth in 2025 as it supports its customers in growing their car, van and BEV fleets.

Smith has already grown the internal support teams to meet the increased demand.

She said: “I have really enjoyed my first few months at Fleet Assist and would like to thank Vincent and the team for making me feel very welcome. I look forward to the next phase of growing the internal team and customer base.”

Fleet Assist’s MD Vincent St Claire added: “We are delighted to promote Sara. She has made such a positive impact since joining the business and look forward to her developing the department further in 2025 and beyond.”

Nexus Rental strengthens commercial operation

Nexus Rental has reinforced its commercial team with a quartet of key appointments, and two further internal promotions, as part of its ambitious growth strategy.

The new appointments include Simon Kelly, who joins as key account manager, Michelle Junnor, as strategic account manager, James Hopkinson, as national sales manager, and Helen Donaghy, (pictured above), as sales director.

Kelly previously worked to restructure propositions and improve customer relationships and Junnor has worked with some of the largest fleets across the UK to grow sales and turnover.

Additionally, Hopkinson brings with him 12 years’ experience in corporate sales roles and Donaghy highlights expertise in change management and new business acquisition.

The duo of internal promotions includes Dean Rose to director of strategic accounts and Zakia Ishaq to head of account management.

Rose has been with the business for 11 years, heading up the account management, new business and development departments in that time.

Ishaq has more than 17 years’ experience in the fleet industry and first joined Nexus in 2024 as a strategic account manager working on key accounts across the business.

Stuart Miles, chief revenue officer at Nexus, said: “As we look to strengthen and grow our proposition in the marketplace, we’ve also wanted to bolster our commercial operation.

“Our commitment to providing rental supply utilising the best technology and data can only be delivered by the best people. And we can only deliver that with the right blend of experience and new talent. It’s an exciting time for Nexus and I can’t wait to see where we go next.”