Lean Thames, Former BMW Used Car Head, Appointed Operations Director at cinch

Leanne Thames has been appointed operations director at cinch, effective start July 2021. The online used car retailer is owned by Constellation Automotive Group, which includes B2B used-vehicle auction company BCA in its brand portfolio.

Thames was most recently head of used cars and internal sales at BMW, while her CV also includes insurance experience at RBS Insurance, Direct Line Group and esure. She is tasked with building partnerships with dealers, OEMs and leasing companies, along with boosting cinch’s finance and insurance offering.

cinch says it is now the largest online B2C marketplace for used cars in the UK and is currently generating annualized sales in excess of 50,000 vehicles. The online site allows visitors to part exchange their car, buy, or finance quality-checked used vehicles. The vehicles are then delivered to their home.

Also boosting the company’s senior ranks is Amy Townsend, who joins as senior marketing director from TV company ITV. Townsend is experienced in building brands and leading marketing teams in highgrowth digital, direct-to-consumer businesses.

Avril Palmer-Baunack, chairman of Constellation Automotive Group, said: “We are delighted to have Leanne and Amy join the team. Leanne is hugely experienced and her industry knowledge will be vital as we look to further our rapid growth and consumer offering. Amy will be a great asset to the cinch team in driving the marketing team and its plans, to ensure our continued success.”

In May, The Constellation Group raised £1bn in private capital to accelerate cinch’s growth across the UK and its rollout in Europe. cinch is headquartered in London.