Ford SA has appointed Ryan Searle as its new sales director to bolster the group’s upward sales trajectory.
The St Andrews College alumnus has three decades of experience in local and international retail sales, marketing, dealer development and management.
Searle joins Ford after six years as the head of Volkswagen’s passenger sales, where he was responsible for sales and market share performance for its SA dealer network, including sales strategy and demand planning for the various sales channels.
Ford Motor Company Africa president Neale Hill said Searle would play a crucial role in growing the Ford brand in SA and ensuring the success of its expanding range of new-generation products.
“We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ford in SA this year, and have reinforced our commitment to providing competitive and compelling must-have products and services for our customers,” Hill said.
“Our locally produced Ranger line-up continues to grow with exciting new derivatives, and we’re bolstering our model portfolio with the freshly launched Territory SUV, the new Transit and Tourneo Custom and the seventh-generation Mustang later this year.
“It’s an exciting period for Ford SA, and we need a dynamic sales director to lead the company and our dealers into this new era.
“We are confident that Ryan Searle has the experience and drive to achieve these objectives, and we welcome him to the Ford family.”
After matriculating in Makhanda, Searle went on to complete his Bachelor of Social Science degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 1992 with economics and political science as his major subjects before completing his honours degree in economics the following year.
He started in the industry in 1994 as an Audi sales executive before being promoted to sales manager a year later.
Searle has held several prominent positions over the past three decades, including Audi national sales manager.
He also headed up market entry and local production strategy for one of the Volkswagen Group brands as well as Volkswagen’s marketing communications, market entry and mobility strategy in Rwanda.
Within Volkswagen Group Africa, he also headed up the Audi Sales division, and was responsible for managing Volkswagen marketing from 2005 to 2008.
He was then appointed head of Audi SA until 2014, followed by a three-year stint as head of Audi Taiwan.
Searle also has extensive experience and knowledge of the retail sales business within the Barloworld group.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.