Volvo Car UK recruits former LiveWire and Harley Davidson executive

Robert Deane has been appointed as the new commercial operations director of Volvo Car UK, bringing extensive automotive sector experience from companies like LiveWire and Harley-Davidson.

Deane succeeds Nicole Melillo Shaw, who was promoted to the managing director role at Volvo Car UK last autumn.

Deane brings with him a wealth of experience from the automotive industry, having held senior positions in various renowned companies. Prior to joining Volvo, he served as the commercial director for international markets at LiveWire, an electric motorcycle company, and held the role of director of sales planning and network development for the EMEA regions at Harley-Davidson.

His extensive career also includes tenure at Jaguar Land Rover, Volkswagen Group UK, and PSA Peugeot Citroën, where he worked both in the UK and China.

Melillo Shaw said: “I am delighted with Robert’s appointment. His experience in leading the transition to a direct-to-consumer model, coupled with his longevity within the automotive sector, will help us to enhance our consumer journey and retailer relationships. These will ultimately drive further growth for our brand.”

Deane is keen to make an impact at Volvo. He said: “We are in a fast-changing business landscape where we need to be able to do more than simply offer great products and meet consumer expectations. As well as making the consumer experience as smooth, straightforward and reassuring as possible, we have to strengthen and maintain mutually rewarding relationships with retailers as we develop our D2C sales strategy – this is something I am very passionate about."

Last summer Volvo Car UK transitioned to direct-to-consumer new car sales, integrating online and physical experiences. 

This move followed Volvo's recent initiatives, including online new car sales, Care By Volvo subscription offers, and OEM-approved used car sales. The shift to direct sales aims to enhance the consumer journey while maintaining the importance of physical dealerships in Volvo's strategy.