Charles Hurst names Jeff McCartney as Group Operations Director

Charles Hurst Group, Northern Ireland’s biggest motoring retailer, has announced Jeff McCartney as its new Group Operations Director, effective immediately.

One of Northern Ireland’s largest employers and investors, with 900 employees across eight sites, the region’s Top 100 company has said the key appointment comes at an important time for the business, as the wider industry embarks on a new journey of growth and transition.

Jeff McCartney joined Charles Hurst in 1988 where he was originally based within Charles Hurst’s tyres division. Working across a variety of well-known vehicle brands and its fast-growing Usedirect/Used car sites, Jeff quickly progressed through a range of management roles in all areas of the company before moving into a leadership position within the senior team.

Now with over three decades of service and experience within the Charles Hurst Group, most recently as Sales Operations Director, Jeff will take up the post with immediate effect, having held the role on an interim basis from late last year. Since then, Jeff has led the businesses through a major digital transformation to continue its growth while leading in the provision of public health safety measures.

New Group Operations Director, Jeff McCartney, said:
 
“The motoring industry is embarking on a period of profound change, challenge and opportunity. Charles Hurst has been at the forefront of the motoring industry in Northern Ireland for more than a century, and as we look forward to the opportunities that innovation and change will bring in areas such as digitisation and electrification, our focus will be on continuing to provide an excellent customer experience to ensure a great customer outcome.

“Those businesses that listen acutely to what its customers need, want and aspire to, will be the ones that can successfully navigate change and avail of opportunities.

“It is a huge privilege to be afforded the opportunity to lead the company of which I have been an integral part for over thirty years. I am looking forward to both the challenges and opportunities we will inevitably face, and the achievements that will undoubtedly follow that will be the culmination of a lifetime’s endeavour. I want to take this opportunity to thank our incredible colleagues and partners for always going above and beyond in continuing to deliver an exceptional service at all times, particularly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Chief Operating Officer of Lookers Limited, Duncan McPhee, said:

“As someone who lives and breathes the Charles Hurst vision and values, with more than three decades embedded in every aspect of the business, Jeff is the perfect leader for the next phase of our journey. We’re delighted to announce his appointment today as a further sign of our ambition to continue to deliver an exceptional product and service to our customers.”

Charles Hurst Group is Northern Ireland’s largest car retailer. A division of Lookers Limited, one of the UK’s principal automotive retail and distribution groups, Charles Hurst represents 22 automotive brands across eight sites, offering customers across Ireland the most comprehensive choice of new and used vehicles, parts and servicing. 
 
Founded in 1911, its headquarters are located in Belfast on a 30-acre site, making it the largest automotive retail park in Europe.

With more than 900 employees, Charles Hurst is committed to delivering an exceptional standard of customer service with its overarching mission statement - "For you, for life.”