Robert Deane has been appointed as the brand new business operations director of Volvo Automotive UK, bringing intensive automotive sector expertise from firms like LiveWire and Harley-Davidson.

Deane succeeds Nicole Melillo Shaw, who was promoted to the managing director function at Volvo Automotive UK final autumn.

Deane brings with him a wealth of expertise from the automotive business, having held senior positions in varied famend firms. Previous to becoming a member of Volvo, he served because the business director for worldwide markets at LiveWire, an electrical motorbike firm, and held the function of director of gross sales planning and community improvement for the EMEA areas at Harley-Davidson.

His intensive profession additionally consists of tenure at Jaguar Land Rover, Volkswagen Group UK, and PSA Peugeot Citroën, the place he labored each within the UK and China.

Melillo Shaw mentioned: “I’m delighted with Robert’s appointment. His expertise in main the transition to a direct-to-consumer mannequin, coupled along with his longevity throughout the automotive sector, will assist us to reinforce our shopper journey and retailer relationships. These will finally drive additional development for our model.”

Deane is eager to make an affect at Volvo. He mentioned: “We’re in a fast-changing enterprise panorama the place we’d like to have the ability to do greater than merely supply nice merchandise and meet shopper expectations. In addition to making the patron expertise as clean, easy and reassuring as attainable, now we have to strengthen and preserve mutually rewarding relationships with retailers as we develop our D2C gross sales technique – that is one thing I’m very enthusiastic about.”

Final summer time Volvo Automotive UK transitioned to direct-to-consumer new automotive gross sales, integrating on-line and bodily experiences. 

This transfer adopted Volvo’s current initiatives, together with on-line new automotive gross sales, Care By Volvo subscription provides, and OEM-approved used automotive gross sales. The shift to direct gross sales goals to reinforce the patron journey whereas sustaining the significance of bodily dealerships in Volvo’s technique.