Former Keyloop and CDK MD Stuart Miles joins rapidly-expanding Cox Automotive

Former Keyloop and CDK managing director Stuart Miles has joined Cox Automotive as managing director of its Retail Solutions business.

Miles left Keyloop in June, almost four months after its £1.04 billion acquisition by tech investment company Francisco Partners and rebrand from CDK Global International, amid a company restructure.

He now assumes responsibility for developing Cox’s digital retail offering and driving growth across the UK and EU and joins its European Operating Board.

Miles, who will report into Pete Bell, Cox Automotive’s chief operating officer for Europe, is returning to Cox having worked there previously for 18 months as business development director.

He said: “The culture, ambition and passion from all team members is what drew me back to Cox Automotive.

“I’m confident we will innovate to succeed and, by having the customer at the heart of everything we do, grow the Retail Solutions businesses and win together.”

 Bell said: “It’s great to welcome such a talented and experienced leader like Stuart back to our business.

“As the last 18 months have shown, having a strong online presence is vital for a business to succeed in this ever-changing world.

“Stuart has a vital role in developing our offering in automotive digital retail and marketing across Europe.”

In an interview with AM addressing Keyloop’s global restructure back in July, chief executive Tom Kilroy said that Miles’ departure had been a result of the changes being made to the business.

One employee said Keyloop’s restructured business would see its staff cuts of up to 80% in some of its UK-based departments.

Although Kilroy would not discuss the scale of redundancies being imposed by Keyloop in an interview with AM, he insisted those numbers were “not correct”

Commenting on Miles’ departure at the time, he said: “We restructured the business and there really wasn’t a stable role for him.

“He is a great guy and I was sad to see him go.”

Cox Automotive is on a growth drive, with Its current strategy targeting a doubling of the size of its business by 2034.

In July Cox Automotive International president Martin Forbes said the business has signalled its intent to “significantly extend our mobility capabilities in Europe” with the acquisition of FleetMaster.

A series of acquisitions over the past 18 months have expanded the scope of its offering, including those of Bruntingthorpe operator C Walton Ltd, digital automotive retail specialist Codeweavers and German dealer-to-dealer online auction business pkwNOW.

Earlier this month, Cox continued its acquisitive approach, securing ownership of electric vehicle (EV) battery life cycle management specialist Spiers New Technologies (SNT) for an undisclosed sum.