New turn: Paul Morris says he is excited to assist Collaborate Corporation with executing its vision for the future of motor vehicle access and usage.

COLLABORATE Corporation Limited, the company behind the leading peer-to-peer car rental service DriveMyCar, has appointed experienced automotive industry executive Paul Morris as a strategic adviser to the board.

Most recently, Mr Morris served as chief operating officer of Automotive Holdings Group (AHG) Limited but, as GoAuto has reported, left Australia’s largest automotive retailing and logistics company last month.

He was replaced at AHG by former Toyota Australia executive director of sales and marketing Tony Cramb.

Mr Morris has high-level experience in automotive, retail, distribution and logistics leadership in Australia and abroad – including several years as director of operations for Inchcape UK and chief executive of Inchcape Russia – and in this new position will play a key role in the expansion of the DriveMyCar business unit.

The company also operates the peer-to-peer caravan rental business MyCaravan and a rental marketplace for underutilised assets, Mobilise.

In announcing the appointment, Collaborate chief executive Chris Noone said Mr Morris arrives at a time when DriveMyCar is scaling up its efforts to engage with dealers and manufacturers “to help them navigate the ongoing shift in consumer preferences and mobility needs which are increasingly moving online and favouring access to mobility solutions in preference to traditional vehicle ownership”.

“We are very pleased to welcome Paul Morris to Collaborate as we embrace and leverage some of the biggest changes in the automotive industry in the last 100 years,” Mr Noone said.

Mr Morris said he was “very excited to join Collaborate to assist with executing its vision for the future of vehicle access and usage”.

“It is clear to me that Collaborate is ahead of the curve in its thinking around the future of mobility and due to the strong foundations and platform developed over many years it is very well placed to be a key component in how manufacturers and dealers work with consumers into the future,” he said.

As AHG’s chief operating officer, Mr Morris’ areas of responsibility included “mergers and acquisitions, mobility evolution, digital transformation and operational excellence” across the group, which has more than 180 franchised dealerships in Australia and New Zealand, representing almost 30 automotive manufacturers.

He also served at AHG as general manager of franchised automotive.

At Inchcape UK, Mr Morris oversaw the operations of eight countries and 16 brands, with a workforce of more than 5000 people, while as head of Inchcape Holdings Russia he was responsible for “creating a high-performance organisation on revenues of $US1 billion through the retailing of 22 retail dealerships managing 10 premium and luxury automotive brands”.

Earlier in his career, Mr Morris was managing director of Inchcape’s AutoNexus logistics and supply chain services subsidiary in Australia, which has a link with DriveMyCar in facilitating its Subaru and Peugeot rental pick-ups and returns.

He also spent six years as business services director for Inchcape Australia and four years as group operations and IT director for Ford Australia’s retail joint venture in Sydney in the early 2000s.

As Mr Morris comes on board with Collaborate, former Kennards Hire CEO John Tolmie has stepped down from his role as strategic adviser.

By Terry Martin