Mitsubishi Motors NZ has promoted two key staff members – Hayley Rowland-White and Felicity Butler – to newly created positions within its senior sales team, as the business looks to consolidate on an unprecedented period of success and ensure it is well-prepared for the future.
Continuing its strong track record of internal development and promotion, the country’s top-selling car brand of 2022 has appointed two of its shining lights into newly created senior sales roles.
Hayley Rowland-White has been appointed Head of Retail Sales and Operations, while Felicity Butler becomes National Fleet Sales Manager.
“This highly capable duo has contributed strongly to our incredible growth and success over the past few years, and prior to that,” said MMNZ CEO & President Warren Brown.
“These roles were created to evolve and strengthen our team as we enter an exciting new period. I am genuinely thrilled to give Hayley and Felicity the scope and responsibility of leading vehicle sales for MMNZ as we begin this new phase of our operations, and I am confident they are the best people to help us move forward as a business.
“We always look to recruit internally, where we have the right people for the job, and we will always support them to succeed when given the opportunity. It’s all part of our ‘family’ approach. We care about our people, which is why we also became the first automotive brand accredited as a living wage employer in New Zealand.”
Scope for growth
As Head of Retail Sales and Operations, Rowland-White will build on her relationships across MMNZ’s dealer network to support and guide sales teams to greater success.
Butler will be focused on taking an already industry-leading fleet team to the next level, continuing to focus on building relationships with key partners and winning and retaining significant corporate accounts.
Rowland-White joined the MMNZ Customer Care Centre in 2010 and most recently managed the sales and logistics team as Operations Manager, during the highest growth and sales period in the company’s recent history.
Commenting on her new role, Rowland-White said: “My primary focus is on ensuring our dealers are positioned for greater success and our customers continue to be among the most satisfied of any industry in the country.
“On a personal level, since taking on this new challenge, I have had a lot of congratulatory messages from females around the wider automotive industry. We are still a minority in this field, so I am aware of how meaningful it is for them to see a woman in a leadership position for a major auto distributor.
“Within MMNZ, it is just about being recognised for your efforts and achievements and being given opportunities to lead and share in the team’s success. It really is so rewarding to be part of a team that puts people first and prides itself on having a ‘family’ culture.”
Butler, who joined MMNZ in 2014 after a successful career in retail and fleet sales both here and in the UK, has been instrumental in winning and retaining some significant corporate accounts.
She said she was “thrilled to inspire all women in our industry to reach for the top” and looked forward to taking MMNZ’s fleet offering to the next level.
“As a business, I want us to continue to be the best at what we do in this area, and that means supporting our fleet customers not only with an outstanding vehicle range, but through outstanding service and trusted relationships,” said Butler. “Because, at the end of the day, people buy from people – and we have some of the best in the business!”
