Oliver Hummel named new European business development manager for 1link

Oliver Hummel has been named as the new European business development manager at service, maintenance, repair and tyre (SMRT) authorisation technology specialist 1link. 

He will be responsible for sales of the platform – delivered by Business Gateway GmbH – to major vehicle operators in mainland Europe.

Oliver joins from Nokian Tyres, where he held both fleet and retail key account manager roles, and has also worked in senior positions at Bridgestone Europe and Michelin.

He said: “1link provides fleets with a well proven and highly effective digital solution to counteract the general shortage of skilled SMRT labour in Europe and has the potential to generate substantial cost savings in a challenging market. 

“I’m looking forward to using my experience and network of contacts in fleet and tyres to show prospective users how the platform can deliver outstanding results for them, as well as working closely with existing customers.

“There is the potential for huge growth here, especially with several major industry tenders fast approaching for which our technology will be highly suitable.”

Fleets totalling almost eight million vehicles use 1link to manage their SMRT processes, working with tens of thousands of supplying garages. As well as Germany, the platform is available in Austria, Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 

Aditya Varadpande, managing director at Business Gateway, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Oliver to our team and are sure that he will prove a great asset. Fleet interest in 1link across Germany, Austria and Switzerland especially is very high and he will help us to maximise that potential.”