MARK Pickles has been appointed Commercial Director at Free2Move Lease.
Mark moves from his current position as Marketing Director for Peugeot to take up the completely new role within the PSA Group subsidiary.
Reporting to Managing Director Duncan Chumley, he joins Free2Move Lease at a pivotal moment.
Having launched in January 2017, Free2Move Lease was formed by melding the Citroen Contract Motoring and Peugeot Contract Hire businesses together to make it the seventh largest leasing company in the UK.
The brief for Pickles is to grow this position further, both through multi-marque business wins, and from within the PSA group of brands.
Mark Pickles said:
“Having worked closely with Duncan and his team as Peugeot Marketing Director, the opportunity which exists to take the unique added-value product offer of Free2Move Lease to a bigger audience is obvious. With a great toolkit of innovative services, together with the benefits which come from a large group such as PSA, Free2Move Lease has significant growth potential.”
Pickles is a veteran of the PSA Group, having undertaken a number of senior roles since joining in 2000.
His experience includes spells as Parts & Service Director and Head of Retail Sales, and he was formerly responsible for Used Vehicle operations.
Prior to joining PSA, Pickles was in the retail sector with Hartwell PLC, where he undertook a number of Dealer Management roles. He is a graduate of The University of Manchester, where he studied Management Science.
In his most recent role as marketing chief at Peugeot, Pickles oversaw a complete overhaul of the brand, in preparation for the successful launch of a range of SUV products during the past two years. With sales volumes of these new products growing significantly, the approach has generated a renaissance in the strength of the French brand.
Duncan Chumley commented on the appointment of Mark Pickles:
“Mark and I share a vision of the growth potential for Free2Move Lease, having worked together closely in the last 18 months to develop Peugeot business sales. His marketing expertise, combined with an impressive CV in most areas of the OEM business, means he is well equipped to continue the growth we have already seen since launch.”