Drive Motor Retail appoints Rygor's Emily Mead as head of marketing

Drive Motor Retail has appointed Rygor Mercedes-Benz group marketing manager Emily Mead as its new head of marketing.

Mead’s appointment follows the recent appointment of Pendragon’s Adam Swift as projects manager at the expanding. Leicester-based AM100 car retail business.

Drive expanded its previously Vauxhall-dominated franchise portfolio with the addition of three new MG Motor UK dealerships in Leicester, Bristol and Darlington in May.

That move followed the opening of a Citroen franchise in Stockton, in February, to make its first move into expansion with new brands back in February.

Mead joins Drive after six years at Rygor and Drive’s joint managing director, Rob Keenan, said: “Emily brings considerable knowledge and stand-out experience in her field, as well as fresh vision for our business.

“2021 has been a really exciting year for us so far. We’ve opened four new dealerships, our existing sites are hiring and growing, and we’re introducing new systems to improve our internal processes.

“This is an ideal time to bring someone like Emily on board, giving strategic direction to the marketing side of our business.

“We’re really happy to welcome her and look forward to her becoming a core part of the team.”

Drive said in a statement that Mead will continue strengthen the group’s profile in areas local to its 18 dealership sites.

Her role will involve leading Drive’s marketing and communications strategy and improving the customer experience, particularly online, to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Mead said: “I’m looking forward to working with the team at Drive Motor Retail and their OEM partners to continue to develop their well-established and successful brand.

“It’s an exciting time for the automotive industry with the competitor and customer landscapes changing, so it’s exciting to be working for a growing dealership as part of an ambitious team that recognise the need to continually move forward and evolve.”