8:24 am, June 21, 2013
ROBERT Forrester, CEO of Vertu Motors, has been named as winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award at this year’s North East Accountancy Award.
The award recognises business leaders who have consistently excelled in their field over a number of years by growing their companies and creating jobs.
Vertu Motors, which has grown into a £1.2 bn company, is now the sixth largest automotive retailer in the UK and has recently acquired Albert Farnell Ltd, a Yorkshire based business of three well-established Land Rover dealerships, for £31m from Co-operative Group Motors.
Now in its seventh year, the awards event, which is held at the Hilton Hotel in Newcastle, celebrates excellence within the fields of finance, accounting and tax from all industry sectors headquartered in the North East.
Qualified accountant, Robert has a wealth of experience in the motor retail industry, previously holding positions as finance director and managing director at Reg Vardy plc. Robert is also a member of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Confederation of British Industry.
Forrester said: ‘I am extremely proud to be presented with this award. A company is only as good as the people who work within it, and undoubtedly, the credit for Vertu’s success must be given to all my extremely hard-working colleagues, who have helped this company to grow and expand to become one of the largest automotive retailers in Europe.
“We are extremely pleased to have added the prestigious Land Rover brand to our portfolio in the last few days and I regard the acquisition as the most significant moment in our history since the purchase of Bristol Street Motors.’
