New MD for Fraikin in management shake-up

Fraikin has completed a series of three senior appointments in a move that sees Hugh Cole as MD, Jeremy Heron as sales and marketing director and Michelle Everitt as head of HR.

Cole will report directly to Pierre-Louis Colin, CEO of Fraikin Group, which now has operations in 16 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Russia.

The new MD has extensive experience in asset rental and leasing, having worked with Alvis in the 1990s and Europcar between 2000 and 2004. More recently Cole was fleet director at Balfour Beatty Group for three years, where he was responsible for more than 7,500 assets.

Cole effectively replaces former Fraikin CEO Peter Backhouse, who had left the business for personal reasons.

Heron also brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having worked for 23 years in the asset finance and vehicle leasing industry.  He has previously held business and sales leadership positions with GE capital, later moving to Lloyds TSB Bank in 2004, before transferring to Lex Autolease as head of Corporate New Business and Bid Management.

Everitt joins from global engineering firm Fosroc International, where she held the position of European HR business partner. She has also worked in a number of roles with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Microsoft and Schneider Electric.

Cole has said: "we are committed to building on Fraikin's established position in the market, further strengthening our tailored contract hire, fleet management and rental offers to customers nationwide."

He added: "Almost every conversation we are having with fleets right now is focused on helping them to reduce costs, ensure compliance and minimise environmental impact. These three areas fit perfectly with Fraikin's core competencies in the marketplace, and are where we can deliver maximum value."

These new appointees join Mark Newnes, operations director; Emmanuelle Kergoat, chief finance officer and Eric Baley, technical and procurement director, who have collectively served on Fraikin's UK board for more than 20 years.