Her appointment follows the privately-owned auction company move into a new state-of-the-art, purpose-built complex more than double the size of its previous location.

Ms Stevens’ role will be to focus on business development across all vehicle sectors, utilising her experience, knowledge and business relationships to enable ECA to achieve its growth aspirations.

Jon Mitchell, managing director of family-owned ECA, said: ‘We have witnessed a rise in interest both in the auction hall and online in the ex-fleet and main agent part exchange vehicles entered in sales since moving to our new location and making our technology investment.

‘The new site alongside an ever-increasing rise in online bidders means that we have seen the number of buyers attending physical auctions and logging on to sales electronically increasing 15% through the final quarter of 2012 and into the first weeks of 2013.

‘We have a growing audience that has an appetite to buy cars and commercial vehicles and the appointment of Carol will, we believe, result in more vendors using ECA to dispose of vehicles.’

Prior to joining ECA, Ms Stevens spent 15 years at BCA (British Car Auctions), in various roles including sales, business development, account management and, more recently, in transport and vehicle inspections and online vehicle sales.

ECA holds sales at its £3.5 million Brampton Road, Eastbourne, complex every Wednesday for fleet vehicles (at 11am) and Friday for part exchange, trade and private entries (6pm) with a commercial vehicle sale on the first Wednesday of each month at 2pm.