Fleetondemand announces seven appointments across senior management team

Fleetondemand has announced seven new appointments across its senior management and software development teams to help support its product innovation and international growth strategy.

Clive Barton has joined Fleetondemand’s executive board as chief financial officer (CFO) and will be leading the company’s financial division to deliver a strategy that streamlines existing operations to support the growth of the business worldwide, starting with the expansion of its technology and services across Europe, the company said.

In previous roles, Barton has partnered with CEOs to enable business growth and lead transformational change programmes for large blue-chip companies including Stenhoj, OVO Energy and P&G. During this time, he also spent five years operating as a management consultant, leading several successful projects for his clients.

Simon Lamkin also joins the executive team as chief technology officer CTO) with over 23 years’ experience in the travel and technology sectors. He has previously held senior roles at EasyJet, Coforge, Brussels Airlines and Telewest Business. He also managed his own IT consultancy, implementing digital transformation strategies for leading airlines.

Lamkin will be focusing on the strategic development of Fleetondemand’s technology platforms, including its Mobility as a Service (MaaS) application, Mobilleo. Key initiatives will include the automation of end-to-end processes and product innovation roadmaps that scale with the business as it expands into new territories.

Dr Richard Fairchild joins the team as chief product officer (CPO). In his previous role as operations director at Aurrigo, Fairchild was responsible for deploying autonomous vehicles as part of citywide multi-modal mobility services. He has also held senior positions at RDM Group and AVID Technology Group.

Fairchild assumes responsibility for the strategy and execution of all product-related activities, including the internationalisation of Fleetondemand’s Mobilleo and vehicle rental management platforms to enable global expansion across multiple languages and currencies. He will also be overseeing the development and launch of two brand new iOS and Android versions of the Mobilleo app later this year, with enhanced features and functionality.

To help support its product innovation strategy, the company has also grown its software development team with the recruitment of four new Full Stack, Android, Senior iOS and backend developers.

JCT600 VLS expands team with new appointments

JCT Vehicle Leasing Solutions (JCT600 VLS) has expanded its team with the appointments of two new employees.

Harry Layton has joined the team as sales support and Imogen Pollard has joined as account coordinator and will be joined by a second account co-ordinator soon, said the company.

The appointments follow numerous promotions in the business over the last 18 months, which saw Caitlin Mountford move into a newly created project implementation manager role, Charlotte Clements take to the new role of partner manager and Lizzie Mitchell progress to account executive.

In the final Quarter of 2020, the business reported extra demand from new customer wins as well as developments with existing customers that led to the recruitment of two additional account managers.

Lindsay Francis, customer services director at JCT600 VLS, said: “The investment in new roles is fantastic and we were thrilled to have both Jordan Thomson and Lisa Bognar join us as account managers.

“They have quickly become valued members of the JCT600 VLS family, despite the restrictions of the pandemic, and the mix of internal progression and new faces has really paid off in terms of customer satisfaction.”

SMH Fleet Solutions appoints new CCO

SMH Fleet Solutions has appointed James Starling (pictured) as new chief commercial officer (CCO). He joins the business from senior roles at Toyota and Lexus Finance and Lex Autolease.

The move sees a restructure of its commercial and IT operations to help deliver faster and more flexible services to fleets, OEMs, and dealer customers.

James Starling, chief commercial officer of SMH, said: “Following a thorough review of the business and the market, SMH sees the opportunity to set itself apart by investing in innovative technology and our people to drive excellent service from a customer centred company.

"We have accelerated investment plans and the development in our IT services and infrastructure platforms in 2021 to meet the demands of a market shifting to a broader range of flexible mobility solutions and an accelerated transition to electric vehicles.”

Mark Elliott has also been promoted to quality director and will lead a function that consolidates all inspections, continuous improvement, and customer experience.

TMD Friction appoints new global sales and marketing director for CV division

A new key management position has been created at TMD Friction, appointing Oliver Hill (pictured) as the company’s new global sales and marketing director IAM Commercial Vehicles.

Hill assumes responsibility for developing revenue streams and profits in TMD Friction’s commercial vehicle aftermarket division across all regions, and for the conception of innovative marketing strategies.

He brings with him more than 20 years of experience in IAM, gained in a variety of sales and marketing positions. He spent 19 years with ZF Friedrichshafen, most recently serving as head of global strategy commercial vehicles.

Clément de Valon, executive vice president independent aftermarket at TMD Friction, said: “Commercial vehicle products have always been a foundation stone of corporate strategy at TMD Friction.

“Oliver Hill is an experienced professional with a strong network, and we are delighted to have secured him for this role. His fresh ideas in sales and marketing are a major enhancement to our commercial vehicle aftermarket division.”

White Clarke Group welcomes Stuart Taylor as new sales director

Stuart Taylor (pictured) joins White Clarke Group’s senior leadership team as new sales director, bringing over 23 years of financial services, leasing and OEM sales expertise.

In his new role, Taylor takes responsibility for White Clarke Group’s sales, customer relationship management and business growth in the UK and Ireland.

Stuart’s career began at Lombard, where he worked through several promotions over his 7-year tenure to become major account director: other previous roles span across auto manufacturing companies in sales, operations, and marketing positions, including Honda and Volkswagen. He spent 10 years holding a long-term role as Honda’s head of European sales and market development.

In 2013, Stuart moved into the asset finance space, working as commercial director for Corporate Asset Solutions. More recently, he has operated within consumer finance as a director for QV Systems.

Ohme announces Huw Owne as new head of OEM partnerships

Smart Charging company, Ohme has announced the appointment of Huw Owen as its new head of OEM partnerships.

Owen will be responsible for building successful collaborations with major automotive brands in the electric vehicle (EV) market to help them deliver on their electrification strategies.

Owen joins Ohme from Group Lotus, where he held the role of director of future mobility and strategic partnerships. He was previously head of digital at Tata Motors and managing director at Gordon Murray Design.

Prior to moving into the automotive sector, Owen spent 25 years in the computer and IT infrastructure sector. He currently sits on the advisory boards of four technology businesses including Pioneer Corporation, which specialises in car technology.

David Watson, CEO of Ohme, said: “We are delighted to welcome Huw as we look to expand Ohme’s OEM outreach by becoming the preferred digital partner for the OEMs building EVs.

“His wealth of experience and knowledge of the motoring industry will be invaluable in helping us solve the imminent digital challenges OEMs face.”