Fiat completes management rejig with sales appointment

Fiat Group Automobiles has appointed Andrew Sproston as sales director to complete its new UK management line-up. Sproston will work closely with marketing director Elena Bernardelli and new managing director Andrew Humberstone, who joined to run the UK business at the end of last year.

Sproston, who started at Fiat this week, joins from Hyundai, where he was direct and retail operations manager. He has also worked at Rover, Ford and Abbey.

Sproston replaces commercial director Andy Rowe, who has been handed a new role in dealer development. Both will report to Humberstone, who moved from Fiat China (MW November 1, 2007).

Humberstone replaced Giulio Salomone, who stepped down after two-and-a-half-years to return to Turin to run the Fiat brand’s dealer network. Salomone, Rowe and Bernardelli played central roles in Fiat’s recent turnaround. Its UK sales were up more than 64% to 58,831 last year – up from 35,828 in 2005.

In January, Fiat relaunched its iconic 500 model (pictured), which sold more than 3.8 million cars from 1957 to 1975. The new version was recently voted 2008 Car of the Year by European motoring journalists.