GUMTREE Group has appointed industry leader Benn Sykes to the role of director of Motors with a mandate to grow market share and continue to boost the collective strength of Gumtree Cars, CarsGuide and Autotrader.

The move is a significant strategic hire for the group with Mr Sykes to play a pivotal role in advancing Gumtree’s mission to drive further growth in the Autotrader Group’s dealership offering, with a specific focus on strengthening existing dealership relationships and partner collaboration.

Mr Sykes said it was “an incredibly exciting time to be joining Gumtree Group”.

“I’ve admired the company for a very long time and having the opportunity to join the team at this stage of its growth story is a huge privilege.

“Gumtree is investing heavily in new product innovation, and our dedicated Autotrader Group dealership offering has ambitious growth plans for 2024 and beyond.

Market: Benn Sykes joins Gumtree to grow market share

“The opportunity to be part of this, and to work with such a focused, stable and trusted team was too good for me to pass up. I’m looking forward to helping our dealer partners sell more cars, more efficiently leveraging Autotrader Group’s open model.”

Mr Sykes brings with him a wealth of experience, having spent the previous eight years running sales teams within automotive media, including CarAdvice, Drive and CarExpert.

Prior to this, he spent more than 15 years running commercial sales teams for media companies including ACP Magazines and News Limited.

The appointment coincides with a strategic shift in Gumtree Group’s operations, with the business now proudly Australian-owned and operated.

Group CEO Tommy Logtenberg said bringing Mr Sykes into this role will increase momentum for the team.

“Benn is highly respected in the industry, and we are excited to have him join the team,” he said.

“He has come into the role at a time of huge renewal and innovation within Gumtree Group. We are heavily focused on delivering a range of new and refreshed products, all of which will transform the car buying experience across our platforms and unlock even more value for our dealers.”

Gumtree now has more than two million live listings and together with CarsGuide and Autotrader, creates a powerful network that reaches more than six million Australians each month while generating over $3 billion in monthly gross listing volume.