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Posted on 03 August, 2015

AARON BATES has been appointed by Motorcentral as regional sales manager responsible for the Bay of Plenty and Waikato. He joins the company with more than 20 years’ experience in the automotive, commercial, finance and banking industries. For the past 10 years, Bates was with Enterprise Motor Group as a business and lending manager. He brings a significant level of retail finance and insurance experience to Motorcentral’s team and its dealer network. Bates’ previous positions have included commercial lending manager with Waikato Finance and financial services manager at Marac Finance. SIR NEVILLE CRICHTON has joined the Young Enterprise Trust’s hall of fame. His acknowledgement is for “business people who have made a big contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand”, and he will be inaugurated on July 29. Crichton’s passion for cars has seen his company Ateco Automotive become New Zealand’s largest independent and locally owned vehicle importer. The Ateco Group oversees the distribution of Ferrari, Maserati, Chery, Great Wall and Citroen across Australasia. JAMES HARVEY is the new chief executive officer at Waikato Toyota in Hamilton. Before taking on the role, he was after-sales manager at Ingham Hyundai for two years. Harvey’s other positions have included service manager at Waikato Motor Group for about three years. He was director of JDH Mechanical in Hamilton from 2005-09. JULIAN CLEMENTS has been appointed as dealer principal at Ebbett Tauranga. He started his career with the company in Hamilton in 1998 before moving to the Bay of Plenty two years later. “For me, last year was a record year,” says Clements. “I went from a sales person to new car sales manager. It’s nice to have some recognition for hard work. “At the end of the day, I believe in the product I’m selling. I also enjoy working for the company and I respect the directors.” JOHN ROBERTS, managing director of credit bureau Veda International, joined Turners Ltd’s board on July 1. He recently announced his intention to step down from the Veda role he has held for 10 years to pursue consulting and governance engagements. Roberts was responsible for New Zealand and international business in Asia and the Middle East over this period. He previously notched up 15 years with advertising agencies. He held chief executive officer roles with Saatchi & Saatchi here and in Asia-Pacific before heading up MasterCard in this country for three years.