3:01 pm, January 11, 2023
Harwoods Group CEO Archie Harwood has stepped down and will be replaced by former Volvo Cars MD Jon Wakefield, rumours suggest.
Car Dealer has been told Harwoods Group staff were briefed yesterday on the changes at the top of the business.
Harwood took over the role in 2018 following the retirement of Glyn Woodage, who ran the business for 26 years.
It is not known why Harwood is stepping aside. Car Dealer has contacted him for comment.
Former Benfield Motor Group chief executive officer Mark Squires also joined the Harwoods board as a non-executive director last month.
Squires has updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect his new position.
Wakefield worked for Volvo for six years in the UK as sales director and then managing director.
He was then moved to Sweden to run their home country market as managing director and then promoted to VP Western Europe. It is believed he left Volvo last year.
Before he worked for Volvo he had a career in the dealer world working for Inchcape and Porsche Retail Group. Wakefield, pictured below, has also been contacted for comment.
Harwoods runs dealerships on the south coast in Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent.
The family business was established in 1931 and represents brands including Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, McLaren and Aston Martin.
The Harwoods Group website says Archie Harwood is ‘inspired by human interaction’ and that he ‘knew the position (CEO) is perfect for him’.
The website said: ‘Archie is optimistic for the future of the auto retail industry, and his main goal for the future is attracting and developing the best teams of people who are passionate and innovative in driving the business forward towards its omnichannel future.’
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