3:36 pm, January 3, 2024
Vantage Motor Group chairman Phil White is quitting the role this month, it was announced today.
The Knaresborough-based new and used car chain said White would be stepping down from the board as he felt now was the right time to hand over full control and ownership of the group to chief financial officer Tim Swindin and chief operations officer Andrew Mallory.
Vantage, which is ranked 90th in the latest Car Dealer Top 100 of the UK’s most profitable dealerships, has 11 Toyota and Lexus showrooms in Yorkshire and Lancashire, a Skoda dealership in Lancashire plus a Kia showroom in Yorkshire.
It was the subject of a management buyout in 2019.
White, who joined the board in 2006, said: ‘Our people at Vantage are the heart of our business and are well known in their local communities for how they serve our customers.
‘I would like to thank them for all their support, especially in the more challenging times of recent years.
‘Tim and Andrew have the drive and energy to build on this support to take Vantage into the future and continue to develop the business.
‘I’m so sad at leaving the group but it is the right thing to do as I approach my retirement.’
The former Lookers chairman and CBE recipient, whose age according to Companies House is 74 and who gained degrees at the University of Leeds and University of California Santa Barbara, will continue to act as an adviser to Vantage during the year.
He resigned from Lookers in October 2021.
In a joint statement, Swindin and Mallory said: ‘We would like to thank Phil for his huge contribution in making Vantage Motor Group the successful and respected business that it is today.
‘We are excited about the future and can assure all colleagues, customers, manufacturer partners and suppliers that it will be business as usual at Vantage Motor Group for many years to come.’
Pictured at top via Google Street View is Vantage’s Toyota dealership in Knaresborough
