Commenting on the appointment, Kevin Rose, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, said: ‘I am delighted to welcome Bart to the Bentley team.  Bentley is continuing to see significant double-digit global sales growth and with deliveries up by 20% in the European region in the first nine months of this year alone, Europe continues to be one of our most important regions.

‘For 2013 we have significant plans to further expand our network presence and sales in Europe and an exciting line up of new products in the pipeline.  With Bart’s experience at PGA, I am confident that he is the right person to lead Bentley’s European operations and take forward our ambitious programme of growth and expansion for the region.’

Mr Gerris joins Bentley from PGA Netherlands, a wholly owned subsidiary of Porsche Holdings, where he held the post of chief operating officer for almost five years.  Prior to joining the PGA Group, he held a number of senior roles with Toyota.

Mr Gerris, who is from the Netherlands, holds a degree in Automotive Engineering and Business Administration and will report directly to Kevin Rose.