Mayn man: Previously general manager of sales at Audi Australia, Scott Maynard has moved to JLR Australia as customer service director, replacing Chris Lidis who has retired.

JAGUAR Land Rover (JLR) Australia has made a string of new senior management appointments spanning customer service, dealer development, financial services, sales and product planning.

The moves come as the company anticipates record annual sales growth will continue for both Jaguar and Land Rover as all-new models reach the marketplace and as its retail presence strengthens with new dealers appointed and existing dealers becoming representatives of both prestige British brands.

After almost 12 years at Audi Australia, Scott Maynard has moved to JLR as customer service director, replacing Chris Lidis who retired recently after almost 10 years of service with the company.

Previously with Ford, Mr Lidis joined JLR Australia in December 2008 – the same year that Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors – starting as Jaguar Australia general manager and subsequently taking on other key positions such as JLR operations director and, in 2014, aftersales director.

Chris Lidis

Mr Lidis began his career as a graduate trainee with Ford and worked in sales, marketing, purchasing, field operations and for Ford Credit both here and in Taiwan. He was also a regional manager and head of the Ford Business Centre at the Blue Oval’s head office in Melbourne.

Mr Maynard, meanwhile, most recently served as general manager of sales for Audi Australia, having risen through the ranks at the German prestige brand in areas such as regional sales and regional aftersales.

Earlier in his career, Mr Maynard spent five years as service manager at Stevenson Automotive Group in Launceston, Tasmania.

Among other personnel changes, Michael Cameron moves from steering the company’s financial services business to head of network development and training, replacing Louise Cassidy who left at the end of last year.

Mr Cameron has more than a decade’s experience that crosses both Jaguar and Land Rover, holding key roles such as national sales manager for the two brands, national sales distribution manager for Land Rover and, earlier on, regional business manager for Land Rover’s northern region.

Brad Chruszcz now steps up from national sales manager to head of financial services and business operations in a role that includes managing company/fleet cars (owned used vehicles, or OUV) and dealer auctions.

The new national sales manager is Brett Lewis-Driver, a veteran JLR executive who started his automotive career with Land Rover in 1987. Over the years he has served in various roles including regional aftersales manager, vehicle processing manager, Land Rover product manager and, for the past two years, group product and planning manager for both brands.

Brett Lewis-Driver

This latter role is now the responsibility of Andrew Chapman, another experienced JLR executive who has worked in a variety of sales and product roles over the past 15 years, most recently as product manager for the two brands.

While each of the five appointments announced this week are effectively filling vacancies in the current management structure, a JLR Australia spokesperson told GoAuto that the changes reflect the company’s current record levels of sales growth, which in turn has brought “an increased car parc, an increased focus on customer care and customer retention, and a continual focus on upgrading and enhancing dealer facilities to accommodate this”.

Louise Cassidy

Jaguar Land Rover increased its dealers from 42 to 45 last year, and another four new facilities are due to be opened this year.

Jaguar sold more than 3000 vehicles in Australia last year – up a whopping 133 per cent from 2015’s 1292-unit result – on the back of the all-new F-Pace SUV and the first full year of sales for the XE. The leaping cat brand is also up 17.3 per cent this year, thanks to F-Pace.

Land Rover sales were just shy of 13,600 units last year, up 14.4 per cent on 2015, with strong sales of Discovery Sport and each of its Range Rover model lines.

Sales are currently down 10.3 per cent to the end of April this year but a new-generation Discovery is on its way, along with the all-new Range Rover Velar and a redesigned and reborn Defender.

By Terry Martin