KPMG UK appoints new Head of Automotive

The service company KPMG UK has appointed Richard Peberdy as the new Head of Automotive.

Peberdy will lead the company’s team that advises global automakers, distributors, retailers and mobility providers in the private and public sectors.

His role will focus on building the firm’s industry-wide network and helping clients with their corporate strategy, business change, governance and compliance, KPGM said.

As a Senior Partner at KPMG, Peberdy has more than 25 years of experience in the automotive sector and was previously Head of National Markets Deal Advisory at KPMG UK.

Rebecca Shalom, Partner, Head of Defense and Manufacturing at KPMG UK, said: “The automotive industry is going through a period of fundamental change as consumer mobility is changing, climate change drives product design and advances in technology revolutionize product connectivity.

“We know that to address these challenges and the opportunities ahead, companies across the industry need in-depth advice and insight in both the short and long term to help them execute their strategies.

“Richard’s experience and expertise will provide our customers with the service and advice they need to get the best results and grow their business.”

Volta Trucks announces strategic appointments

Volta Trucks, the fully electric commercial vehicle manufacturer, has announced strategic new appointments to its management team.

John Burrows has been named the company’s chief financial officer (CFO) and brings more than 10 years of experience in venture capital financed scale-up organizations with fundraising and investor relations skills, the company said.

Burrows previously held CFO roles in cybersecurity, real estate technology, and financial technology lending businesses.

Casper Norden also joined Volta Trucks as Chief Strategy Officer after serving as an advisor to the company’s board of directors since May 2019.

For the past four years he has worked for Peltarion, a Stockholm-based provider of software and solutions for artificial intelligence (AI), most recently as CFO.

Before that, he worked with start-ups and venture capital investments at EQT Ventures and Crowdcube.

Mornie Robertson has also been named chief human resources officer.

The company said Robertson has extensive experience with automotive startups who held global and European leadership roles in human resources for Tesla and was on the board of directors that founded INEOS Automotive, in addition to HR positions at Porsche GB and BMW UK.

Essa Al-Saleh, Volta Trucks Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted to welcome John, Casper and Mornie to the Volta Trucks Executive Management Team.

“We are in a period of rapid growth as we accelerate our plans to bring the world’s first purpose-built fully electric commercial vehicle to market as soon as possible.

“We are recruiting some exceptionally talented people for Volta Trucks and building a team of world-class experts in an agile and agile corporate culture.

“We have significant tailwind as evidenced by a very strong order book, fueled by the unique design and IP of Volta Trucks, which addresses sustainability and systemic health and safety issues in urban driving.

“With upcoming legislation driving a transition from ICE to zero-emission fleets and customer demand, we will continue to build the team to help us meet our ambitious goals.”

The appointments followed as the company announced its road-to-zero emissions strategy, launched four all-electric commercial vehicles, increased projected sales volumes by over 500%, and expanded into additional European, US and Asian markets.

Yodel Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

Yodel has named Andrew Sturzaker as its new chief financial officer after seeing record business growth last year.

Sturzaker brings deep finance knowledge and experience to his new role, having worked with multinational companies in manufacturing, services and retail for over 20 years, Yodel said.

He previously worked at Milliken & Co as Finance Director for the EMEA flooring division.

Before joining Yodel, Sturzaker was Finance Director for the Benelux region at Euro Garages, where he was responsible for controls, processes and financial reporting, both commercial and legal.

Ben Mitchell, CFO at Yodel, commented: “It is a pleasure to have Andrew on board and I look forward to working closely with him.

“With more than 20 years of experience, he brings a wealth of knowledge to this role that will be of vital importance as we continue to strengthen our offering and grow as a company.”

Sturzaker added, “I am delighted to be joining Yodel at an important time for the company to maintain the momentum that has been gained over the past few years.

“I am very optimistic about Yodel’s future prospects and look forward to finding new opportunities to build the financial support the organization needs.”

The announcement comes as Yodel releases its strongest financial results ever, raising its expected full year earnings to over £ 565 million by 2021, up from £ 430 million in 2020 and an increase of £ 30 million from previous estimates.

Steve Whittaker Appointed Police Liaison Manager at Tracker

Tracker, the Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) company, has appointed Steve Whittaker as its police liaison manager to strengthen his crime-fighting skills.

Working with Police Liaison chief Clive Wain brings invaluable insights to the Tracker team, with more than 30 years of organized crime knowledge and experience, the company said.

He joins Tracker after serving 32 years in the Leicestershire and South Yorkshire Police Department, where he served as Detective Superintendent.

During his time as a detective, he worked as a crime manager in Sheffield, where he was responsible for handling firearms cases, serious and complex investigations, burglary, robbery and vehicle crime.

Whittaker also made changes in the reorganization of the work practices of the county and the criminal investigation department, and led numerous cross-agency crime-fighting initiatives, including the creation and deployment of a division to deal with all firearms offenses and layoffs across the South Yorkshire force to firearms reduce relief by 35%.

He was also a senior investigative officer responsible for numerous murder investigations that resulted in numerous murder / manslaughter convictions that resulted in over 220 years in prison.

More recently, Whittaker worked for the National Crime Agency, which led a team of investigators into historical child abuse cases.

Clive Wain, Tracker’s Police Liaison Officer, said, “The appointment of Steve Whittaker is a great addition to the Tracker Police Liaison team.

“He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to support the innovative ways we build new trading partnerships, as well as broadening cooperation with the police at local, regional and national levels.

“This appointment underscores our ongoing commitment to identify and shut down the organized vehicle crime network.”

Whistl Appoints New General Managers to Support Fulfillment Expansion

Whistl, the independent provider of e-fulfillment solutions, has appointed two new general managers to manage its new warehouse locations in Lutterworth and Northampton.

Ian Bonser will lead the new Lutterworth facility after having worked for DHL Supply Chain for over 20 years.

Shaun Macavoy, who will be responsible for both the existing and new facilities in Moulton Park, Northampton, previously served as Head of Operations for the Arcadia Group.

Nick Wells, Whistl CEO, said, “Both Ian and Shaun bring a wealth of experience to Whistl which I believe will be critical to the exciting months ahead as we open our new facilities.

“We look forward to welcoming you to Whistl as we begin our preparations for Peak and meet the ever-growing needs of our long-term and new e-fulfillment customers.”

Capital Fleet Solutions welcomes new employees to the sales team

Van leasing, fleet management and finance company Capital Fleet Solutions has welcomed Chris McCauley and Jason Ahmet to its sales team.

Both McCauley and Ahmet have experience building vans and leasing in the drainage sector.

The company said it had built a contact list of jet and van contacts for nearly 10 years, enabling them to advise businesses and franchisees on the best options for them.

Combined with previously over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, both have a broad understanding of funding options and available funding products, according to the company.

McCauley and Ahmet previously worked for independent companies who started or built their drainage business, and the franchises included Metro Rod, Dyno Rod and Dalrod.

McCauley said, “The Capital Fleet Solutions approach to business was a perfect fit for us.

“We take the time to really understand the business owner or franchisee and what they need for their business.

“This enables us to advise or suggest van setup options that will maximize productivity and performance for the company.”

Ahmet added: “We also have good contacts throughout the industry,

“From large jet engine manufacturers such as Rioned, Andy Guest, Flowplant and Jetchem / Super Jet to all delivery truck suppliers, we can procure vehicles as required.”