Simon Elliott has been appointed managing director at Intercounty Truck and Van, representing a coup with Northern Ireland-based owner, Ballyvesey Holdings.

Having resigned earlier this year from his last full time position as UK managing director of MAN Truck & Bus, Elliott (pictured) had “turned down a series of offers while waiting for the right opportunity to come along”.

He initially worked for Chrysler Jeep, then a business unit of the former DaimlerChrysler conglomerate – he served as its managing director from 1999 until 2006.

He spent the next couple of years as president and chief executive officer of Chrysler Group China– winning that country’s CEO of the Year award in 2008 – before returning to the UK as managing director, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

From 2011-2014 he was CEO of Volkswagen Group Ireland, with responsibility for its car as well as commercial vehicle brands, then moved on to the MAN position in which he gained his first experience of working in the truck sector.

Elliott said: “I was looking for a fresh challenge and the prospect of joining Intercounty Truck and Van, a dealer that represents the industry’s benchmark truck and van products, has excited me from the outset

“The foundations for success are already in place. My job is to provide leadership, and to ensure that customer service remains at the very top of the agenda as we address those issues which have been holding us back.

“I have proved repeatedly that I have the energy and expertise to ensure that the businesses for which I am responsible perform to their full potential, and I’m determined that the same will be true of Intercounty Truck and Van.”