Close Brothers Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CBCVS) has appointed Simon Matthews to the role of Business Development Manager for their new Coach & Bus Rental division.
This is a key role for the division, which is headed up by Managing Director Mike Beagrie, and which was established in January of this year.
Simon brings a wealth of experience to the post, having worked in the coach and bus industry for 21 years. He started his career as a driver at Cambridge Coach Services before moving into sales with Kirkby Coach & Bus Ltd, now part of Alexander Dennis Ltd.
Simon then worked for a Leger Holidays for several years before moving to EvoBus where he was responsible for the Used Coach business and more recently he was a Sales Manager at MAN.
Commenting on his new role, Simon said: “I’m very excited about this opportunity with Close Brothers and to build on the early successes the new business has achieved. While the Coach and Bus Rental division is a new venture, it’s backed by a highly respected company with excellent resources, so I’m confident we can establish it as a big player in the market and as the type of company people want to do business with.
“Professional reputation is everything, and in my new role I’ll be striving for the Coach & Bus Rentals division to become more than just a supplier, rather a trusted partner that can really help grow our customers’ businesses in a profitable manner.
“The exclusive distribution agreement that we have with Wrightbus for their StreetLite vehicles will ensure that our vehicles stay at the cutting edge of technology and that we’ll be able to meet the demands of both current and future customer expectations,” he added.
Mike Beagrie said: “Simon is a great addition to our team, particularly in terms of the breadth of his expertise and contacts in the industry. I worked with him several years ago at EvoBus and so I know that not only is Simon known and respected by customers, but that he can hit the ground running in this critical new role.
“Between Simon and I, and with the backing of our operational support team within Close Brothers Commercial Vehicle Solutions, our parent, we plan to build the business organically and we’re certainly ready to deal with the significant sales volume we’re expecting.”
