Preston based DAF Dealer, Lancashire DAF, has appointed well-known truck industry figure Chris Griffiths as Fleet Sales Manager. He takes responsibility for truck sales to large national fleets. Griffiths replaces long-serving Lancashire DAF fleet sales boss Harvey King who has been appointed as CEO at operators, Chris Wright (Baildon) Ltd. and Chris Wright Road Planing Ltd.
Griffiths brings with him 34-years of industry experience, recently departing Leyland Trucks – home of DAF-branded truck manufacturing in the UK – as Chief Engineer for medium-duty DAF models after a total of 16-years with the truck builder, and where he was part of the design team for the original DAF LF range (International truck of the Year 2002).
Griffiths’ knowledge of commercial vehicles, and the industry more widely, is unrivalled, having garnered vast experience with rival truck manufacturers including Scania and Mercedes Benz. He served a full apprenticeship as a school leaver, and worked at dealership and manufacturer head-office level, while building-up an extensive knowledge base. Griffiths is a Chartered Engineer and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Automobile Engineering, a master’s Degree in Engineering Management and a Transport Manager’s CPC qualification.
Having worked closely with dealers, bodybuilders, chassis converters and other third parties throughout his career, Griffiths has also built-up a detailed map of the fleet customer base and is well known to many of the leading fleet operators. He believes now is the ideal time for a switch to a sales role.
“I’ve been keen for some time to work at what I consider is the sharp end of the industry,” he said, “I’ve always enjoyed talking to operators, discussing solutions and generally ‘talking trucks’. I’ve also built-up a brilliant relationship with Lancashire DAF over the years, and I think my CV gives me a head-start and underlines my credentials with truck operators.
“The latest generation of DAF trucks with conventional and alternative power sources are complex machines that need to be specified correctly to suit customer applications,” he added, “Having previously led the DAF medium-duty design team, and now interacting directly with customers, will give them the added confidence that their DAF vehicle is the right tool for the job”.
Paul Entwistle, CEO at Lancashire DAF, added, “We’re thrilled to have someone of Chris’s calibre with us. His credentials are impeccable, and he already knows our customer base. I think too, that a customer facing role is ideal for Chris as he is a truck-man through and through.”
