Peter Cottle, a former chair of the FLA Motor Division, has joined the consultancy and services business GrowCap as head of automotive.

Cottle brings over 40 years’ experience in the motor finance industry. 

In 1978 he joined Lombard, holding several senior roles including managing director of Jaguar Cars Finance and managing director of PSA Finance.

In 1997 Cottle moved to Capital Bank Motor where he was responsible for manufacturer relationships and major accounts, also holding a number of board positions with joint venture partners such as Inchcape Financial Services, Renault FS, International Motors FS and Lex Vehicle Leasing as well as acquiring and managing the Porsche and Harley Davidson relationships. He was appointed deputy managing director in 2005.

Cottle served on the board of the FLA for five years, chairing the motor division for two years and representing the FLA at Eurofinas.

More recently, in 2015 he took the role of business development director at start-up lender Startline Motor Finance, helping to guide the business through its early growth phase.

Cottle was recently awarded the “2019 Motor Finance Personality of the Year” at the Credit Strategy Motor Finance Conference in Nottingham. He is Honorary Treasurer of the Fellowship of the Motor Industry and is an active participant in industry initiatives. 

Peter Hunt, GrowCap managing director, said dealers and motor finance providers are facing a major market upheaval with the emergence of new business models.

He said Cottle’s expertise will help the business guide its activities.

Hunt said: “As well as driving a range of new client engagements, Peter will work closely on market development with our technology partner, the dealer stocking self-audit platform CheckVentory.”

Cottle said: “I was attracted by GrowCap’s progressive culture and multi-disciplinary approach. Between us we have an extensive range of expertise to advise and add value to clients, especially in these testing times for our industry.”