IVECO appoints Chris Read as Light Business Line Director

Monday 22nd January 2018

IVECO has appointed Chris Read as Light Business Line Director, with responsibility for its award-winning Daily light commercial range in the UK and Ireland.

Read, 36, started out in the automotive industry as a 15-year-old, joining Vauxhall as an apprentice technician in 1997. He finished his apprenticeship and, while gaining valuable experience, he saw his future being outside of the workshop.

He spent seven years on the Aftersales and Customer Service teams before becoming the company’s youngest ever Regional Customer Care Development Manager at just 25. After working his way up the ranks at Vauxhall he joined Ford in 2015 as Business Development Manager before moving to IVECO in 2017 as National Sales Performance Manager.

Read says: “I’ve worked in most parts of the industry, and it’s this real experience that I bring with me to this role. I can’t wait to get out there and start working with the sales teams and our network of dealers and customers. It’s a fantastic opportunity and a great way to start 2018.”

Looking to the future, he adds: “This is a really exciting time for IVECO’s light business division – especially with the Daily Blue Power range winning International Van of the Year 2018. We’ve got a fantastic product range to offer, so my initial focus will be on continuing to raise brand awareness and further developing the markets for our natural power and electric offerings.

“I also want to continue the excellent work the team has been doing in the contract hire market, as well as focusing on bringing the benefits of Daily to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).”

Read will be based at IVECO’s UK headquarters in Basildon and will report to Stuart Webster, IVECO UK & Ireland Business Director.

During his rise up the career ladder, Read took time out in Indonesia to follow his passion for scuba diving, becoming a member of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).