Leading ‘trade only’ treatments company, Forté has further bolstered its regional sales teams with the appointment of two new Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) in England.

Mark Hawthorn has joined Forté as RSM for the South East with responsibility for the regional team looking after Kent, Sussex and Surrey. He has 20 years of experience in the motor industry and has previously held positions as a national sales manager and regional sales manager with major aftermarket brands, including CarPlan.

He said his experience would play an important role in helping to promote Forté‘s brand and products in the South East.

He said: “I originally served a five year apprenticeship in a garage workshop and have since spent 20 years working in the auto trade, helping develop major brands throughout the UK. In that respect, I have a very rounded view, including how things operate at the grassroots level, knocking on garage doors to sell products. There are massive opportunities in the South East and I am looking forward to the challenge of exploring them in my new role.”

Joining Mark as a fellow RSM is Tony Shepherd, who has taken on the role in the South where he will look after a sales team of eight. Tony has considerable sales and managerial experience. He worked for 12 years at Wurth in similar capacity to that at Forté with responsibility for 50 staff. He also has experience in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector with Eurofred where he held positions as national sales manager and sales director.

Rachel Greasby, Marketing Director at Forté, said: “The skills and industry experience that Mark and Tony bring with them will make them great assets to the Fort&eacute management team.”

Today, Forté operates throughout the UK and works with around 9,000 garages, workshops, MOT stations and franchised dealers.