CD Auction Group to support growth ambitions with senior hires

CD Auction Group has made two senior appointments to support its growth plans with James Dower joining as account director and Andy Pearce as operations director.

Dower joins from remarketing company Adessa and has over 30 years of experience and was also the senior editor of Cap HPI’s Black Book, along with senior roles at Network Q and Pendragon.

He will be responsible for leading sales growth and customer expectations.

Pearce will lead the operations team across the CD Auction UK sites.

He joins the company from an international remarketing consultancy and has also held senior roles at Manheim and GRS.

Commenting on the move, Karl Howkins, managing director of Auction Services for the SMH Group said: “We are growing rapidly due to the focus we are placing on customers and it’s vital we provide the best service and add value to our customers with a talented and knowledgeable team.

“Both James and Andy bring a wealth of experience to their roles which I’m sure will benefit our customers as we continue to expand.”

Howkins, the former managing director of Citroen UK, joined the business in July with a remit to lead the auction company through the next stage of its development and integration into the SMH Group.

CD Auction Group recently reported record sales volume in July with passenger cars performing well with an average of 105% of CAP.

It attributes the growth to its digital-first strategy and expects sales through online and mobile channels to account for over 60% of volumes in 2020.