FMG appoints a new managing director

FMG has promoted Andy Chandler to the role of managing director, having joined the company in 2015 and been sales director since 2019.

He succeeds Claire Owens, who stepped down from the role to explore new opportunities earlier this month.

With 20 years experience in the fleet and insurance industry, Chandler broadened his role in 2021 to support the claims and services businesses within parent company Zigup, where his contribution was instrumental in growing the business into different markets.

Harvey Stead, Chief Operating Officer, Zigup, said: “Andy’s expertise and strategic focus in the fleet and insurance sectors, together with his wealth of industry knowledge and commercial expertise, will be invaluable in driving the business forward and exploiting opportunities to deliver against our plans. “

Chandler added: “I will focus on ensuring that our proposition remains relevant, that we deliver the high level of service we are synonymous with, that we remain knowledgeable and insightful in the markets in which we operate and that we continue to be a strategic and valuable partner to our impressive customer base.”

FMG specializes in incident management services and works with some of the country’s best-known fleets and insurance companies to handle hundreds of thousands of claims per year.

TTC Group appoints Roy Hastings as CFO

TTC Group has appointed Roy Hastings as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to replace the departing Richard Boothroyd.

Hastings will support the TTC as it continues to expand its portfolio of key training and compliance services in regulatory markets, with a broader solution for clients.

He has extensive and varied public and private sector experience in private equity-backed companies and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

He comes to TTC from Connected Cloud Solutions provider, FluidOne.

David Marsh, CEO of TTC Group, said: “Roy’s understanding of our client base, the product types we want to grow into and his knowledge of private equity stood out.

“We have many opportunities in the pipeline that we feel confident in securing with our newly strengthened team and achieving our strategic objective to be the UK’s best training and compliance expert.”

Hastings added: “TTC’s commitment to excellence and innovation aligns perfectly with my own professional values, and I am delighted to be part of the business as it continues its path towards an ambitious growth and acquisition-led future.”

Kay Saunders appointed head of customer experience at FleetCheck

Kay Saunders has been appointed to the newly created role of Head of Customer Experience at fleet software specialist FleetCheck.

She will have responsibilities in three key areas – onboarding new customers, customer service and account management for larger fleets.

Her experience includes spending the last four years as global fleet manager at Polestar Performance AB in Sweden. Previously, she held a number of sales and marketing roles over nearly two decades at both Volvo Car UK and Volvo Car Group.

She said: “I am delighted to be joining FleetCheck at this stage of the company’s development. There has clearly been significant expansion over the last few years and the plans to continue this trajectory into the future are impressive.

“My part will be to ensure that we can demonstrate a culture where our team are committed to consistently delivering exceptional service, which means customer satisfaction at every point of contact with FleetCheck.

“This ranges from onboarding, with the first real experience customers will have with us other than the sales team, to account manager for larger customers with a larger number of different vehicles.”

Peter Golding, CEO, added: “We would like to welcome Kay on board. She has extensive experience in the fleet sector at the highest level and will, we are sure, make a significant contribution to FleetCheck over the coming years.”

Econ Engineering promotes Steve Sinnott

Steve Sinnott, a long-time member of the Econ Engineering team, will play an expanded role in the company’s future success following his promotion to Director of Sales.

In his new role, he will continue his responsibility for national sales strategy and business development management along with working closely with the board to explore other strategic opportunities.

He will continue to work closely with the regional area managers, ensuring there is a strong order pipeline and connecting the technical, service and factory production teams.

Sinnott joined the UK’s leading manufacturer of winter and highway maintenance vehicles in 2013 and has risen through the ranks from Regional Sales Manager to Sales Director.

He said: “I am proud to take on this expanded role at Econ. The business continues to perform strongly in the markets we operate in, and I look forward to providing further insight to the board so that we can continue our growth.”

Jonathan Lupton, CEO at Econ, added: “As we continue to lead the market in the winter and road maintenance sector, Steve’s expanded role is an important one.

“He will not only continue to manage key customer relationships and drive the new business pipeline by showcasing current and future product development, but also provide expertise on opportunities and challenges that will be important as we set our long-term strategy.”

Earlier in his career, Sinnott held several senior sales roles at Duffields of East Anglia, Whale Tankers and Intercountry Truck & Van, before joining Econ in 2013.

Family-owned Econ Engineering is the UK’s leading manufacturer of winter and highway maintenance vehicles and supplies 85% of the country’s grits. It recently delivered the first ever all-electric model, the E-QCB.

ChargeUK appoints first head of policy

ChargeUK, the voice of the UK’s EV charging infrastructure industry, has today announced Jarrod Birch as the organisation’s first Head of Policy.

He joins from Shell Recharge, where he was Policy and Advocacy Lead, having also previously been a member of the ChargeUK Board.

His focus will be on creating the policy and regulatory conditions the sector needs to build the UK’s EV charging infrastructure at a time when the EV transition is at a critical point.

As Birch steps down from her previous board position and Natasha Mahmoudian, head of public policy and business development for the UK and Ireland at Tesla, takes maternity leave, ChargeUK also announces two new board members: Laura Hardy, head of communications at Gridserve, and Antoine Picron, senior policy manager at ChargePoint .

Birch said: “This new role gives me the opportunity to work on behalf of the whole sector, and this is something I enjoy.”

Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK added: “I look forward to working with Jarrod to continue this momentum and ensure that EV charging is as convenient and affordable as possible.

“I would also like to welcome Laura and Antoine to the board, who will benefit enormously from their expertise and experience in the industry.”

i247 Group appoints its first ever CTO

Les Kerjenski has joined the i247 Group in a brand new role as Chief Technology Officer, and comes from Fleet Assist where he was chief technology and operations officer, bringing over 30 years of technology experience to the group.

The new i247 Group role will include leading a team of 25 across all technology-related functions – IT, development and data.

He said: “I am really looking forward to leading the digital strategy and delivering a holistic approach for the group.

“A key part of that strategy will be looking at how we can use new technologies like AI and machine learning to improve the customer journey.”

Sam Mason, CEO of i247 Group, added: “Technology is a key part of our growth agenda – we want to ensure our technology footprint is right for today and ready for tomorrow.

“Our goal is to work in as proactive and predictive a manner as possible to ensure the optimal experience and outcome is delivered for our customers.”

The appointment is one of a series of senior appointments i247 Group has made this year. The company has hired five more IT software developers and made a number of new appointments within its data and analytics teams.

The group has also expanded its commercial team with strategic hires from the fleet landscape including Dean Hedger as key account director and Charlene Tattersall as key account manager.

Leasing Options announces latest campaign

Leasing Options, the Manchester-based car leasing company, has announced that Sanjay Gorsia has been promoted to Head of Pricing.

He will now officially be in charge of pricing for the business, along with other related teams.

Gorsia, who has been with Leasing Options for six years, will help ensure that Leasing Options remains competitive in the market and support the management team in driving the company’s growth strategy.

Mike Thompson, chief operating officer at Leasing Options, said: “Sanjay is an incredible asset to Leasing Options and this promotion is well deserved.

“This promotion is just the first of many exciting announcements we’ll be sharing over the coming months as our 35-year-old business undergoes record-breaking growth.”

Gorsia added: “I have seen firsthand how much we have grown over the past seven years and am excited about the incredible opportunities that lie ahead.

“I look forward to working with my team to help drive our continued success and sharing my knowledge to further develop my team’s expertise and support the company’s growth.”

Enterprise Flex-E-Rent invests in 15 new recruits for its truck apprenticeship program

Enterprise Flex-E-Rent has recruited a new cohort of 15 apprentices in the UK and Ireland to join its two-year apprenticeship program for truck mechanics or panel beaters.

The move is part of a long-term strategy to invest in more specialist apprentices in light of the ongoing skills shortage affecting the industry.

It follows Enterprise Flex-E-Rent’s venture earlier this year, when more than 100 commercial vehicle technicians joined the final cohort in May and have since qualified.

The technician course has been developed to create a highly qualified professional course that equips trainees with a wide range of practical experience and skills.

The new intake of HGV technician apprentices are based at Enterprise Flex-E-Rent depots in the UK and Ireland, including Shrewsbury, Gloucester, Southampton, Exeter, East London and Limerick.

An existing member of the workshop or workshop team is selected to act as a designated ‘buddy’ for each of the apprentices, to support them through their training.

Danny Glynn, vice president of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, said: “Our apprenticeship program is vital to building a steady stream of talent as we continue to grow as one of the leading commercial vehicle specialists.

“By investing in our team, we are creating long-term career paths that not only benefit our business but also help address the national skills gap.”