Stuart Kerr has been appointed chief executive of Ford Retail Group, filling a vacancy left since the exit of Chris Hayden earlier this year.
Kerr was previously regional president for Volvo Car Corporation in Europe, and served as managing director of Volvo cars UK from 2006 to 2008.
Ford said he is recognised in the industry as a proven achiever, with a deep knowledge of the sales and marketing aspects of the industry.
Ford of Europe vice president of marketing sales and service, Roelant de Waard, said: "Stuart is the right person to take on this important industry role and to build on the work done by Chris Hayden in profitably developing Ford Retail into a customer-focused business worthy of our best-ever range of products."
With 60 sites spanning Britain, the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland, Ford Retail is one of the largest dealer groups in the UK and the largest Ford dealer group in the world. It sells around 75,000 vehicles a year.
Angus Brown, who has been the car dealer's acting CEO since Hayden's departure in June to join US motor retailer Group 1, will return to his post as Ford Retail's parts operations director.
An award-winning journalist and editor, with two decades of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ)
As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is responsible for its media content, planning and production across AM's multiple channels, including the website, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM's events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales companies to examine latest developments in UK motor retail.
Tom Whitehouse - 16/12/2012 21:58
Well done Stuart. I remember you when I worked in the Saudi Arabian Market with Volvo Cars