Aston Martin has appointed Michael van der Sande into the newly created position of chief commercial officer to help drive global sales.

Based at the company’s headquarters in Gaydon, Van der Sande will report to Dr Ulrich Bez, chief executive officer and will be part of the company’s executive board of management.

Van der Sande joins Aston Martin from Tesla Motors, but also spent 12 years with Harley Davidson, where he held a variety of senior roles in marketing, dealer development, product development and commercial operations.

His most recent role at the motorcycle manufacturer was as vice president and managing director of Harley Davidson Europe.