Subaru appoints Lorraine Bishton as managing director

Subaru (UK) has announced the appointment of Lorraine Bishton as its managing director.

Bishton started her automotive career with Ford’s credit division before moving to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), holding senior positions in sales strategy and analysis before moving to McLaren special operations where she held the position of sales and marketing director.

She said: “Subaru is a brand not only with a great history and heritage but also an exciting future. This is a very important phase for Subaru as it continues its transition towards an electrified future, and I feel privileged to take the reigns as the new managing director.”

William Brown, MD of International Motors, added: “We are thrilled to have Lorraine on board and heading our Subaru operation in the UK. 2023 was a year of growth for the brand and we are looking to continue this progress in 2024 and beyond.

“Lorraine’s appointment comes at a pivotal time, as Subaru launch the new Crosstrek model and continues its momentum towards electrification with the all-electric Subaru Solterra and more models in the future.”

Operated by International Motors Ltd (IML), which also manages other automotive brands including Isuzu UK and GWM Ora, Subaru UK is headquartered in Birmingham, West Midlands, with 65 dealers across its UK network.

Pat Ryan, former MD of Subaru UK, has taken up a new position within the International Motors Group.

Dealer Auction appoints Jason Symes as new sales director

Digital remarketing platform Dealer Auction has appointed Jason Symes as its new sales director.

He joins Dealer Auction from Cox Automotive, where he was head of dealer – enterprise sales, and has 20 years’ experience in the automotive sector.

Prior to joining Cox Automotive in 2018, he spent nearly five years in sales roles for Inchcape UK and Sytner Group before joining Martec Europe as an automotive training consultant.

Reporting to Dealer Auction CEO, Le Etta Pearce, Symes will lead the sales function, taking responsibility for the management of Dealer Auction’s existing dealer, fleet and OEM accounts in addition to leading its new business activities.

He will also support customers’ increased use of the platform to remarket electric vehicles (EVs).

Pearce said: “Jason is a fantastic addition to Dealer Auction, and I’m thrilled he’s chosen to join us.

“While at Cox, he established an enviable reputation as an unfailingly positive and ambitious strategic sales leader.

“His experience and connections will be invaluable as we continue to grow and expand our remarketing services across multiple sectors.”

Symes added: “Dealer Auction is an exciting digital business at the cutting edge of the remarketing sector and the opportunity to play an influential part in its continued success is an honour.”

Balshaw appointed director, strategy, business transformation and people at Toyota

Toyota (GB) has announced the appointment of Richard Balshaw to the new role of director, strategy, business transformation and people.

It marks a return to the company for Balshaw who for the past five years has been on secondment to Toyota Financial Services (UK) as development and mobility services director and to Kinto, the UK arm of Toyota’s international mobility services business, as group vice president.

Balshaw joined Toyota (GB) in 1994 as an aftersales area manager and went on to hold general manager positions in lean operations, after sales and fleet and remarketing before promotion to sales director in 2009.

He was subsequently director of Lexus, then director, customer services. He took up his new position on January 1.

He said: “Having gained valuable experience in my work with TFS and Kinto during the past five years, I am looking forward to developing a business transformation strategy to ensure Toyota (GB) and the wider Toyota group of companies are best placed to maximise the opportunities that will come as the motor industry goes through a period of unprecedented change and development.

“Our people will be a critical part of that success and I am committed to providing a place of work where individuals can thrive and teams want to come together and collaborate.”

AssetWorks names Steven Torrance as new UK sales manager

AssetWorks UK has welcomed Steven Torrance as its newly appointed UK sales manager.

He brings more than 20 years of extensive experience and profound knowledge in the software industry, focusing on automotive solutions, distribution, logistics, and supply chain management.

In his previous role as head of sales at Reynolds and Reynolds UK, played a pivotal role as a key member of the senior management team.

He said: "I am honoured to be part of AssetWorks and excited to leverage my experience to contribute to the company's success.

“I look forward to working collaboratively with the team and driving innovation to deliver exceptional solutions to our clients.”

Bullet Express appoints director of storage and logistics

Bullet Express has appointed warehousing and logistics specialist, Wesley Riggins, as its director of storage and logistics.

He joins the senior leadership team at Bullet Express and will oversee all aspects of storage including storage operations, health and safety, commercial execution, business optimisation and people.

He has previously held senior positions with AMG Group, Peacock Salt and Curry European Transport.

He joined Bullet Express in March 2022 to lead the development of its 67,000 sq/ft. floor storage centre at Renfrew and has held the position head of storage since December 2023.

John McKail, group chief executive at Bullet Express, said: “Wesley has a fantastic track record in the industry and understands how to deliver success.

“With this promotion, Wesley brings a wealth of experience to our senior leadership team and will play a significant role in contributing to the future growth of Bullet Express, concentrated on the evolvement of storage and logistics into new arenas.”

Riggins added: “I am excited to be moving to the next level as a member of the senior leadership team and operating board, as we continue the expansion of Bullet Express’ services and brand into the future.”

Infinium hires Amazon’s Cheryl Perry to new role

Infinium Logistics has announced that it has hired Cheryl Perry as its senior development manager. She joins Infinium Logistics from Amazon, where she was responsible for developing its electric vehicle (EV) off-site van storage solutions across the UK and Ireland, in addition to managing other complex construction projects.

Phil Bayliss, CEO of Infinium Logistics, said: “Having raised significant capital to invest in this important new asset class and made strong progress in acquiring strategic sites, we are now focused on development and connecting with our customer strategies.

“Cheryl's extensive experience in development and EV charging infrastructure will greatly advance our mission to create enduring infrastructure that benefits businesses and the planet.”

Perry added: “This is an opportunity to enact tangible stepchange not only for Infinium but also for the businesses in need of this infrastructure, which in turn will deliver a real benefit to the world around us.

“I'm keen to move forward at pace, forging partnerships with like-minded businesses, so that through collaboration we can develop sites fit for future commercial fleets."

TrustFord welcomes new members to board of directors

TrustFord has announced the appointment of three new members to their main board.

Joining the existing team will be Mark Wilkie, fleet and CV director; David Cox, passenger vehicle sales director and Stuart Cresswell, aftersales director.

The announcement comes following Stuart Mustoe’s confirmed appointment as CEO in February 2023 with continued focus on growing its fleet, dealership, mobile service operation and parts plus strategy.

Mustoe said: “I am delighted to congratulate and welcome Mark, Stuart, and David to the main board. 

“Their collective experience and expertise in our product, fleet, servicing, and parts businesses will be key as we continue to invest in the group’s future growth and success.

“With our National scale across the UK and ever-changing automotive landscape it is so important we have the operational leadership to make the right decisions when needed.”