Carwow has hired a former Paddy Power global marketer to its newly created role of chief marketing officer.

Phil Lloyd has joined the London-based car sales platform from Paddy Power Betfair, where he was its global head of advertising following the 2016 merger of the two gambling brands.

Carwow said Lloyd’s appointment “heralds the brand’s step-change as it pursues ambitious growth” and adds further strategic direction to its leadership team, as he brings experience across high growth start-up businesses, large consumer brands and global creative agencies.

It said Lloyd will be responsible for ensuring connected thinking across the brand, unlocking growth for the business with one central marketing strategy across different audiences.

Most recently Lloyd had been based in San Francisco, USA, where he was helping scale up a venture capital-backed mobile gaming business in the US and UK.

Lloyd said: “My aim is to help curate and deepen a marketing culture where the customer’s voice is represented through the entire business.

"The strength of the entire team at Carwow is incredible, and now is the time for more car buyers across the UK and Europe to know about the power of our product.

“I can’t wait to work in partnership with founders, in particular the chief executive James Hind. The modern CMO role is tough, but having the confidence and trust from an entrepreneur like James is a crucial support and inspiration to keep driving the growth agenda in the business.”

Hind, who co-founded Carwow in 2013, said: “Phil’s appointment is a crucial hire following a year-long search. He impressed in smarts, with both his passion and his ideas for how we can use customer insights to create an aligned marketing strategy and grow Carwow at pace”.