ONE of the south’s biggest car dealer groups has seen three people rise to the role of operations director after joining the business young.

Eden Motor Group represents seven brands across 24 dealerships in 11 counties, including a Vauxhall site at Fareham.

It also has Eden Prestige and Performance at Fleet and a Hyundai dealership at Basingstoke.

Matt Gill, Russell Catlow and Mike Earle have all become operations directors under 40.

Mr Gill. promoted last summer, began as a sales executive at Eden Reading. He went on to be general manager at four Vauxhall sites before becoming a regional manager in the Thames Valley.

He said: “I joined Eden from a sales environment where I would never have had the opportunities I’ve been given by Eden, but the company’s leadership development programme has really opened doors for me. It’s the culture that makes the difference – we’re treated equally and encouraged to thrive.”

Russell Catlow joined as a sales executive in Taunton in 2016, going on to be branch manager in Torquay, then regional manager in the South West in 2018. He became an operations director last summer.

He said: “Before Eden I was working for a dealership that was focused entirely on margin. At Eden it’s different. Our colleagues are very much our identity and there’s no sense of hierarchy – opportunities exist for everyone and the company’s culture rewards those who are prepared to work hard and look after each other and our customers.”

Mike Earle joined in 2012 as sales manager at Eden Vauxhall in Fareham. Before becoming operations director, he was a regional manager in Oxfordshire and Berkshire, as well as holding a core role in setting up Eden’s Approved Used operation.

He said: “I was never really an academic. So when I started my career, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. But I always enjoyed interacting with people and talking, and I’ve always liked cars, so I figured that an automotive sales job might well represent a good opportunity for me. I was delighted when Eden took me on.

“Over the next few years I realised that the culture within the company was one where they nurtured talent and nine years later I found myself in a role that I never, ever would have imagined myself doing when I was younger.”