Inchcape eyes further strategic growth with appointment of new Managing Director of Inchcape Australasia
From 1 April 2025, Blair Read will be appointed as Managing Director, Inchcape Australasia to drive growth and continued success in Australia and New Zealand across its diverse portfolio of distribution, retail, fulfilment and financial services solutions delivery, including its brand representation for Subaru, Peugeot, LDV, KGM, Deepal (Changan Auto) and FOTON.
Blair has extensive automotive industry experience. He started his career at Inchcape in 2004 and quickly rose through the ranks with key appointments across Sales, Aftersales, Marketing, and Business Development, before being appointed as Managing Director of Subaru Australia in December 2021.
Blair has been instrumental in pivoting our Australian business into a multi-brand and multi-category distribution operations; deepening existing and new OEM partnerships (Deepal and FOTON) to power better mobility in market. He also implemented the centre of excellence for OEM Product management and fleet portfolio sales, and developed the dealer network for multi-brand growth strategy. Prior to Inchcape, Blair also worked with brands such as Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Porsche and SEAT.
Colin Christie, the current Managing Director for Inchcape Australasia, has been appointed to the role of Regional Director of Strategy & Transformation, Inchcape APAC from 1 April. In this new role, Colin will drive the delivery of Inchcape’s Accelerate+ strategy across the Asia-Pacific region to Scale and Optimise the businesses through Distribution Excellence and delivering superior Value-Added Services.
Ruslan Kinebas, CEO of Inchcape APAC, commented:
“I am incredibly excited about the future of mobility and Inchcape’s role as the world’s leading automotive distributor. Colin’s and Blair’s appointments highlight the exceptional talent at Inchcape, positioning us to lead the transformative journey in the automotive industry.”
Blair Read, Managing Director of Distribution, Australasia (Transitioning Out), commented:
“We are experiencing exciting growth in the Australasian business, and I am thrilled to be at the helm, driving sustainable growth for our OEMs and delivering exceptional experiences for our customers across Australia and New Zealand with our fantastic team.”
Colin Christie, Managing Director, Inchcape Australasia (Transitioning Out), commented:
“I’m excited to step into my new capacity to drive the Inchcape Accelerate+ strategy across the Asia-Pacific region, delivering sustainable growth and truly living up to our purpose of powering better mobility. I would like to personally thank my colleagues, our partners and our community for the support that you have given to me and my team over the past years.”