McConnell joins car finance firm Oodle as head of sales

Former V12 Vehicle Finance executive Estelle McConnell has joined Oodle Car Finance as its head of sales and major accounts.

Ciara Raison, chief commercial officer at Oodle, said: “We’re over the moon to welcome Estelle to Oodle. She brings such a wealth of knowledge that will be invaluable to us, and she shares our ethos and values of being a customer centric business.”

She has two decades of experience in automotive finance, with roles at firms such as Capital Bank, Secure Trust Bank - the parent of V12 Vehicle Finance - and Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Most recently she was managing director of DF Capital's powersports division, overseeing its lending to the specialist car, marine and motorcycle sectors.

“This feels like a really exciting time to join Oodle,” said McConnell. “It’s a dynamic, growing company and its central proposition - of simplifying the car buying journey and giving customers a great experience - dovetails perfectly with the regulatory focus on achieving good customer outcomes.

"This presents Oodle with lots of opportunities and I’m looking forward to playing my part in developing new partner relationships and helping the business accelerate growth.”

At Oodle, McConnell will drive the business forward by supporting the commercial and sales teams and promoting the value of the Oodle proposition in the market.

“As a woman in a senior role, I also hope to inspire other women to believe that they too can have a fulfilling career in motor finance. When I joined the industry many years ago, there were very few women in the trade. Since then, things have significantly improved but there’s still some way to go. Oodle really walks the talk when it comes to diversity and inclusion and in fact this was one of the key things that attracted me to the company.”