Lookers will aim to drive its electric vehicle (EV) sales strategy with the help of newly-appointed business development director Andrew Hall.

Former franchise director Hall has been charged with assisting with the AM100 PLC’s growth strategy, with a particular focus on EVs and the company’s “wider sustainability credentials”, a statement said.

Lookers’ latest senior leadership appointment follows those of Chris Whittaker, as chief people officer and former Toyota GB managing director Paul van der Burgh, as a non-executive director, last month.

In a statement issued via the London Stock Exchange today (April 13), Lookers also revealed that senior independent non-executive director Heather Jackson will step down on April 30 - after less than 18 months in the role.

Non-executive chairman, Phil White, thanked the former HBOS chief information officer for the "really significant contribution to Lookers over what has been a very challenging period".

Commenting on Hall’s new role as the business looks to build on a strong Q1, Lookers chief operating officer, Duncan McPhee, said: “The automotive industry is undergoing a period of profound change and transition.

“As Lookers embarks on an exciting, new period of growth and innovation, our ambition is to play a leading role in the sustainability agenda within our industry and beyond, with a particular focus on electric vehicles.

“This new role will be crucial to the group’s future success in a rapidly changing landscape by challenging people and processes to optimise performance and achieve competitive advantages.

“A long-standing member of the Lookers team, Andrew lives and breathes our company’s values, making him the right person to lead us on this exciting next phase of our journey.”

Hall is a long-standing member of the Lookers team, having started his career with the group as a trainee assistant in a Volkswagen Audi Group Oldham showroom and working his way up to the post of franchise director.

Hall said: “Having gone from starting my career in a Lookers showroom to becoming a franchise director, I am very proud to be given the opportunity to take up this newly created role in what will be a defining period of change and innovation for our company and the wider industry.

“Having worked with customers and brands right across the UK for many years, I intend to use my passion and track record for creating an excellent customer experience to ensure they maximise the opportunities that the sustainability and electric vehicle revolution will bring.

“Whilst the future is electric, our continued growth and success will be because we ensure the needs of our customers are at its heart.”

Lookers represents 32 vehicle manufacturers, selling and servicing a wide range of new and used vehicles from a network of 129 dealerships in the UK and Ireland.

Earlier this year Arnold Clark chief executive, Eddie Hawthorne, revealed his group’s strategy to become an EV advocate on the Road to 2030’s ban on the sale of new vehicles driven purely by petrol and diesel.

Central to the approach explored in the AM dealer profile is Arnold Clark’s £5m Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Innovation Centre, which aims to educate motorists on the benefits of EVs.