Carwow has appointed Sepi Arani as its new head of OEM ten months after Audi’s former future mobility operations manager joined peer-to-peer car sharing provider hiyacar.

The online marketing platform carwow said that the move was a continuation of its efforts to strengthen its senior team following a successful £25 million funding round led by Daimler in the summer and its ongoing 28-day crowdfunding round which raised £2m in just 60 minutes.

Arani will succeed John Davis in a role that will involve development of the business' OEM proposition; strategically across media, data and technical integration with brands and captive finance houses in the UK, carwow said.

He has previously worked for Audi, Audi AG and Volkswagen group both in the UK and internationally, with roles across sales operations, digital and strategy.

During his time at Audi he delivered the brand’s first online vehicle deposit platform for the e-tron SUV electric vehicle (EV) as well as launching Audi's future mobility brand, Audi on demand.

Hasan Nergiz, who was appointed as director of OEM at carwow back in March, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sepi to the team. He has unparalleled sector experience, having held senior positions in manufacturers in the UK and Germany, as well as having developed and delivered global e-commerce offerings.

“Coupled with his recent high growth start-up experience, he is ideally positioned to further strengthen our position in the market, in what is an incredibly exciting era for carwow and the automotive industry.”

Arani said: “I’m incredibly excited to join carwow as Head of OEM UK and apply my industry knowledge and expertise alongside my growth mindset and approach.

“We have a fantastic opportunity to support automotive brands as a strategic partner, not only in getting the right car to the right customer but also in furthering the true understanding of changing customer behaviours and needs as the industry moves towards online sales and electrification.”