Online car buying platform heycar UK has promoted its chief commercial officer Karen Hilton into the post of chief executive, with Mat Moakes becoming CCO of the heycar Group.

The business said that the changes came as part of a move to “further accelerate its growth in the UK and across Europe” and sees former carwow director and Volkswagen UK marketing communications manager Hilton take the helm of the UK business.

Hilton, who joined the business in 2019, has stepped up after a six-month planned transition period. She said: “We’ve established a formidable momentum in the UK, a super focused leadership team, and a great culture for our team. I look forward to steering this rocket ship through its next phase.

“In the three years we’ve been operating we’ve faced a pandemic, a structural change in the supply network, and now the UK faces the economic headwinds of a recession.

“So, if there’s one challenge to expect from my role as CEO, I know it’ll be continuing to weather the ongoing uncertainty and ambiguity. The automotive and tech industry, however, has also gone through pivotal changes since the COVID pandemic – the way we work and the way we consume goods have changed and that change is here to stay.”

Originally launching in the UK as classified marketplace, heycar has since launched an e-commerce option for customers and claims to boast the largest selection of cars available to purchase online (17,000 currently available).

The business has built a growing network of exclusive commercial partnerships with Parkers, BuyaCar, Regit and others in the UK and expanded overseas with launches in Spain, France and the Netherlands in the past 18 months.

Moakes, who had been heycar UK’s CEO from its launch in 2019, will now aim to create a more international organisation and grow the heycar business across Europe in his new role.

Hilton said: “With all these changes comes opportunity such as the potential for new routes to market – we’ve already seen our eCommerce business grow six-fold since the end of 2021 showcasing that some people are 100% ready to buy a car online – but also the opportunity to work differently and attract new talent to heycar.

“To face this head-on, we’ll continue to be bold, take risks on new trends and set ourselves apart from the incumbents in the industry.”