During a phase of development and a continued manufacturer focus, Mr McLaren has joined the spare parts supplier to develop key manufacturer partnerships and oversee the purchasing department.

He comes from a long-standing career in the automotive industry, bringing over 22 years of commercial experience in the automotive OEM environment - most recently working with Samsung SDI in the area of vehicle electrification.

Mr McLaren said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have joined the First Choice Group and I am looking forward to using my knowledge and experience gained over a career in the automotive sector to further enhance our offering to our manufacturer partners, allowing us to be their parts solution provider of choice.”

First Choice Group supplies only original parts from its OEM partners, and currently holds a number of Master Distribution Agreements with many leading equipment manufacturers such as MKN and Ambach.

“Our aim at First Choice Group is to help promote the manufacturer and their brand,” said Mr McLaren. “We want to help protect the manufacturer’s brand value and respect the hard work they have carried out to design, engineer and test their original equipment by supplying only original spare parts.”

John Whitehouse, managing director at First Choice Group, said: “Steven’s background and manufacturer experience within the automotive industry will be an asset within our sector.”