2017-01-S07

Ian recently joined Auto Trader as Director of Manufacturer and Agency. Sitting at the heart of the UK’s vehicle buying process, Auto Trader operates the UK’s leading digital automotive marketplace for buying and selling new and used vehicles. A 100% digital business, Auto Trader aims to lead the digital future of the UK automotive marketplace, adding new value both to the customer experience as well as to the retailers and manufacturers. Ian brings to Auto Trader a wealth of automotive and retail experience. Ian cut his automotive teeth at several international roles at Renault-Nissan HO in Paris prior to running his first dealership in London in 2003. This led to a regional role and subsequent senior positions, including Managing Director of the 25 Renault Nissan sites of the Renault-Retail Group, and Commercial Director of Renault UK. In 2012 Ian joined Volkswagen as UK Sales Director, responsible for sales of more than 200,000 new cars sold to private and fleet customers, as well as the network sales of approximately 130,000 used cars. During nearly 5 years spent at Volkswagen, he delivered significant changes to the UK automotive customer journey by applying the principles of “Blended Retailing”. This merging of the digital and physical touchpoints created a seamless process strengthening the relationship between customer, retailer and brand. Blended Retailing has been proven to increase both value and volume of sales, as well as customer satisfaction and loyalty. The strategy has now been adopted globally as a best practice model by Volkswagen AG, and also recently received external recognition outside of automotive, winning the ‘Retail Innovation of the Year’ in the 2016 Retail Systems Awards.

Tim has represented GForces as a Director since 2005. A leading provider of digital technology, marketing, and consultancy services to the automotive industry, GForces operate throughout the UK, Continental Europe, MENA, and the Far East. Global vehicle manufacturers, the world’s largest retail groups, and national sales companies trust GForces to provide consulting services and innovative solutions to engage digital audiences and enhance user journeys. As Group Strategy Director, Tim has defined the GForces company strategy, marketing activities, and product and service innovations. Making technology relevant to its audience has driven him to continually expand the company’s offering and horizons. If the tool or technique that offers the perfect solution doesn’t exist, Tim will bring pioneering spirit and the technical and creative resources together to bring it into reality. Designing, building, and deploying innovations are something of a signature for both Tim and GForces. Automotive is a vast, diverse, and complex market, delivering some of the most desirable consumer products in the world. Tim has helped GForces forge a reputation for keeping the industry at the pinnacle of buying behaviour and user experience, informed by the 20 million car-buying interactions generated each week by its proprietary NetDirector ® platform.