Lookers appoints new group head of talent acquisition

Lookers has appointed John-Paul Jones as its new head of talent acquisition.

Jones joins the 150 site group from UK food manufacturer Arla Foods.

Taking up his post on August 1 in this new role, Jones will report to Lookers’ chief people officer Chris Whitaker.

Lookers employs 6,500 staff across its 150 franchise dealerships.

Whitaker said: “Our people are at the core of our business and our ability to recruit the right talent and develop great careers is pivotal to our success.

“JP comes to Lookers with outstanding knowledge, skills and experience of driving positive

change in talent acquisition and employer branding and I’m delighted that he will be joining a team who are dedicated to our aim of being the number one employer of choice within our industry.”

The new senior appointment reflects Lookers’ ambition and strategic growth objectives.

Jones said he’s looking forward to joining Lookers at a time of exciting changes across the business and industry.

He said: “I’m excited to be able to support the team in delivering great candidate experiences and bringing the very best talent into this successful business.”

Lookers' H1 trading update revealed that pre-tax profits were expected to decline in the region of 10% - from £50.3 million to around £45m – on a first half of 2021 which saw car dealerships continue to be impacted by COVID-19 lockdown closures.

However, it stated that its annual financial performance would be “substantially H1 weighted”.

Despite pressures on consumer spending and continued vehicle supply constraints Lookers said it will continue to perform ahead of expectations and leverage the strength of its OEM relationships, robust financial position and omnichannel model to navigate the challenges ahead.

Mark Raban, Lookers chief executive spoke to AM at length earlier this year as part of an in-depth profile feature where he spoke of how he is “extremely proud of what the group has achieved” after leading the once troubled PLC’s revival through the sector’s most turbulent period outside war time.