Vertu Motors' Vansdirect online commercial vehicle sales division has appointed Samantha Ward as its new operations director.

In her new role, Ward will have responsibility for managing the end-to-end delivery of the businesses operating model, including leading and developing its workforce, ensuring the achievement of the operational and strategic objectives and delivering outstanding levels of customer satisfaction.

Samantha Ward, operations director at Vansdirect, said: “There has been a fantastic career path for me at Vansdirect. I am excited and feel very fortunate to be working with a team who share a passion for delivering first class customer service."

Ward has been with the business since January 2016, when she joined as training and development coordinator.

Working with each department, she supported the implementation of the business processes as well as being responsible for the training and development of new and existing staff.

Ward progressed her career in 2018, when she was promoted to training and compliance manager.

In 2019, she was involved in the implementation of the Vansdirect enquiry team, where she advanced into a business support manager role.

Vansdirect was acquired by Vertu Motors in January 2019 and also won best van leasing broker last year at the Leasing Broker Federation Awards for the fourth consecutive year.

Ward said: “We are aiming to further grow the reach of the company and have made several significant business development appointments recently. The future is looking very positive and I am looking forward to playing my part in further developing this great business.”