Robert Morris has taken up the reins as the new head of fleet and remarketing at Volvo Car UK.

Robert Morris, Volvo Car UK head of fleet and remarketing

Morris joins the company from Mercedes-Benz UK where he was most recently national operations manager but also covered other fleet roles in his eight years there. Prior to joining Mercedes-Benz, he spent seven years with the Volkswagen Group as a fleet sales manager for Škoda.

As Volvo head of fleet and remarketing, Morris replaces Steve Beattie, who moved to become Volvo’s head of sales in October 2020. He will be responsible for all Volvo’s UK business sales, including to leasing companies, and the supply of specialist vehicles to the emergency services and other organisations. Morris will also oversee vehicle remarketing activities and residual value management.

Fleet remains a core focus for Volvo – true fleet accounted for 27% of its sales in 2020. The carmaker’s UK fleet operations also performed well last year despite the significant challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Although true fleet sales understandably declined, the rate was less than for the overall market (-26% compared with -28%).

The brand’s plans for fleet sales going forwards include capitalising on growing demand for electrified cars – the carmaker says its growing range of plug-in hybrid and electric cars provides valuable new opportunities for fleet and business sales.

Morris commented: “This is an exciting time for Volvo, with the roll-out of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles that are increasingly key choices for business customers. This gives us a great opportunity to challenge the status quo in the premium market. Steve Beattie and the team have created an excellent foundation on which to achieve more success in true fleet and business sales.”