Nissan makes three new appointments to support EV sales
Nissan has appointed Andrea Patti, Liz Redmayne and Alex Edmond, to help support the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) to UK fleets.
The three join the team from other roles within Nissan and will report to fleet director, Peter McDonald.
Moving from his previous position as commercial vehicle category manager, Patti will become Nissan’s new national corporate sales manager and will be responsible for all corporate and key account activity across the team.
His role also includes the provision of aftersales support to customers and the management of relationships with light commercial vehicle (LCV) converters.
Nissan says Patti steps into his new role with extensive experience in the LCV market after leading Nissan’s commercial vehicle category team for four years and having previously held several senior positions at the FCA Group.
Redmayne is promoted from her role as corporate sales manager to a newly created position of national leasing and rental manager. As corporate sales manager, Redmayne managed relationships with key account holders such as DPD and the National Grid, says Nissan. 
Before joining Nissan, she held positions at Volkswagen, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Inchcape Fleet Solutions, now rebranded as Kinto.
Edmond is appointed fleet operations manager, moving from his previous position as fleet campaign deployment manger, a position he occupied for two of his five years with Nissan.
His promotion will see him assume responsibility for fleet strategy and marketing. He will retain some responsibilities in financial campaign reporting, analytics, and deployment, while assuming broad control of fleet operations within Nissan.
Peter McDonald, fleet director at Nissan, said: “I couldn’t be more pleased to introduce these new faces to the fleet management team.
“They all have significant experience with both the Nissan brand and our fleet operation, and I am confident they will add immense value and help Nissan to deliver on its ambitions.’’
Marshall Leasing appoints new account manager
Marshall Leasing has strengthened its client-facing team with the appointment of Peter Renton as account manager.
Renton recently held the position of sales resource manager at Activia Contracts, where he focused on customer service, process, and procedures.
Upon completion of a post-graduate management training scheme, Renton joined Activia Contracts as a commercial executive, focusing on financial modelling and master hire contractual terms.
From there he progressed to the role of a trainee area manager and was promoted to a fully-fledged area manager after growing the customer based and developing inherited accounts.
Renton was then offered the opportunity to become the sales resource manager which was focused on heading up and bringing together several internal departments alongside creating the operating processes and procedures by delivering key projects, says Marshall. 
Christian Sawers, senior key account manager at Marshall Leasing, said: “Peter Renton’s contribution to our team and business will help immensely in strengthening our capabilities and ability to continue to provide class-leading service to our growing customer base.”
Jonathan Ross, sales and marketing director at Marshall Leasing, said: “Since Bank of Ireland UK’s acquisition of Marshall Leasing through its Northridge Finance business, the focus has been on resource and customer service.
“COVID has fast-tracked our adoption of digital processes and Peter will be providing an added resource to our sales operation capabilities.
“Vehicle leasing is going through a rapid transition. Peter Renton is joining us at a time when we see great opportunities to provide our customers with advice, expertise and solutions.”
Britishvolt appoints Timon Orlob as COO
Britishvolt has appointed Timon Orlob as its new chief operating officer (COO), reporting directly to CEO Orral Nadjara.
Orlob will assume responsibility for delivering the skills and systems required for Britishvolt to construct and operate the UK’s first battery gigaplant, from the end of 2023.
Orlob joins Britishvolt from Sunseeker International, where he was COO and formerly operations director.
His previous roles have included three years at PwC, where he was a global manufacturing and supply chain specialist. He began his career in Germany at Bosch in its automotive division and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.
Orral Nadjari, CEO at Britishvolt, said: “Britishvolt is rapidly maturing as a business and Timon’s appointment as chief operating officer underpins our progress.
“He will be a crucial component in our essential mission to deliver a fully operational battery gigaplant in the North East of England at the end of 2023.
“We remain on track in every way to develop and manufacture strategically important lithium-ion batteries. Timon’s skills and experience will make us even more steadfast, I am looking forward to working closely with him.”
Orlob said: “I am looking forward to helping deliver the UK’s first battery gigaplant.
“Putting into place the skills, talents and systems that we need to start seamlessly delivering world-class lithium-ion batteries at the end of 2023.
“This is a hugely important project and I am proud to be able to contribute to the UK’s electrified future.”
Quartix expands its field sales team
Quartix has appointed Sean Maher as sales director and expanded its UK and French sales teams to help elevate engagement with the larger business fleet sector.
Maher, promoted to sales director in December 2020, holds 13 years of telematics experience with Quartix.
Maher and the field sales team visit businesses across the UK, with an increased focus on large fleets.
New field sales managers have also been appointment, Ray Barnett and John Lilwall. They join Maher, Andy Edwards and Joanne Dann in the field sales team.
Barnett brings experience with other vehicle tracking suppliers to Quartix, where he will cover large fleets in London. Barnett has previous experience in selling to the civil engineering and groundworks industry.
Having also represented other vehicle tracking brands, Lilwall will cover the Midlands and East Anglia. Prior to joining Quartix, Lilwall operated as a Quartix reseller.
Maher said: “In what was the most challenging year for businesses worldwide, Quartix powered through to achieve remarkable trading results, demonstrating growth and resilience.
“We begin this year in a great position and I’m eager to see the difference our new team members can make in 2021.”
In addition to expanding its UK field sales team, Quartix has launched field sales operations in France.
David DuFoix embarks on his first year of promoting Quartix in the field, based in Lyon. DuFoix has over 25 years of experience in new technologies, including Siemens and Mapping Control.
New head of sales and marketing at National Windscreens
Simon Hunt has joined National Windscreens as the new head of sales and marketing.
Hunt’s has held previous roles at service and customer focussed organisations including RAC, LeasePlan, BCA and AA DriveTech. Hunt says in his previous roles, he “got to know” National Windscreens customers and the challenges they face.
Hunt said: “Understanding vehicle complexity as it continues to develop at an accelerating pace, from safety systems to connectivity, is a major challenge for everyone – from insurers and fleet operators to the aftermarket supply chain It is matched by the challenge of a providing a digital journey that continues to exceed customer expectations.
“Our role is to help our customers stay ahead of the game by investing in technology and training; leveraging our partnerships with world renewed brands such as Dow, Hella, Pilkington and Saint Gobain; and continuing to engage closely with organisations such as Thatcham and SMMT.
“Developing partnerships with our customers to meet these challenges most effectively is our key objective.”
— to www.fleetnews.co.uk
