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VRA appoints new chair at annual seminar

The Vehicle Remarketing Association has appointed Sam Watkins as its new chair, replacing Glenn Sturley.

Sam Watkins, chair of the VRA

Watkins is currently director of sales and marketing at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and has been involved in the motor industry for more than 20 years, including vehicle manufacturers and retail dealerships, and in technical services more recently.

She succeeds Glenn Sturley, who has held the role for two years and five years as vice chair years and has been a member of the VRA since its inception February 2007. He will continue to be a board member.

Watkins said: “I’d like to start my time as chair by thanking Glenn wholeheartedly for his service to the organisation over the years. He has done an excellent job.”

Her appointment was announced at the organisation’s annual conference this week, which attracted more than 120 delegates to Cranmore Park Exhibition Centre, Solihull. Covering the subject of ‘The Challenges of 2019’, the event saw Mike Allen of Zeus Capital speak on the prospects for the used car market in 2019; Jonathan Butler of Geldards talked on the latest ASA developments for dealers; Philip Nothard of Manheim on fuel trends; Tom Wood of Cazana on the future of used car pricing; Owen Edwards of Grant Thornton on dealer economics; and Paul Marchment of Arval on hydrogen cars.

Watkins said: “As we stressed at the seminar, it is possible that next year will be the most volatile we have seen in the motor industry for a long time with a wide range of unpredictable factors likely to affect our industry, and we will be working hard to keep members continually updated.”

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.