Car giant unveils chief operating officer

Motorpoint has appointed its first ever chief operating officer.

Andy Smyth joins the independent car retailer from JLA, where spent the last six years as group operations director.

He will be based at Motorpoint’s new group headquarters on Pride Park in Derby.

Smyth previously spent over 25 years with British Gas, most notably as head of operations. He also spent two years heading the Scottish government’s £200 million Energy Assistance Programme as part of its strategy to reduce fuel poverty.

At Motorpoint he will oversee vehicle preparation and logistics, operational excellence and business improvement across the company’s network of branches in England, Scotland and Wales.

He said: “Motorpoint is a hugely ambitious business, and the opportunity to affect change and really make a difference to the car buying experience for our customers, is one I am extremely excited about.

“I thoroughly enjoyed myself at JLA and loved the speed of pace of working in private equity but the opportunity to come and join Motorpoint was one I couldn’t resist.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed from day one by the vision of the executive team as well as the culture of continuous improvement which, when backed by the quality of the cars and the spirit of the teams on the ground, makes Motorpoint a very compelling proposition.”

Mark Carpenter, chief executive officer of Motorpoint, added: “Andy joins us from JLA, a company that specialises in ensuring efficient delivery of equipment where quality, consistency of service and speed are critical measures, and we look forward to him bringing these qualities to Motorpoint as we go from ‘Good to Great’ in all aspects of our business.”