Bus builder, Volgren has announced a number of changes and new hires across its sales, aftersales and commercial divisions.
Yuri Tessari, has moved from national sales and aftersales manager to chief commercial officer. Brett Poulton has joined the organisation as national after sales and customer experience manager. Jon Tozer, who worked at Volgren between 2000 and 2019, has rejoined as business development manager after two years at Mercedes-Benz..
Volgren’s CEO, Thiago Deiro, said the changes and new personnel demonstrate the company’s determination to maintain their market-leading position and deliver ever-greater value to customers.
“Volgren is fortunate to have some of the most passionate and committed professionals in the Australian bus industry. The arrival of Brett, the promotion of Yuri and the return of Jon strengthens our offer.
“The restructure of our commercial operations and personnel is about recognising our talent, adding in new skills and enhancing the focus on our zero-emission projects and business development pipeline.
Our new team members will allow us to offer faster customer response times. It also allows Volgren to forge deeper partnerships with customers, particularly with regard to tender projects and upcoming replacements.”
Chief commercial officer, Yuri Tessari, said although he has a new role he will continue to work closely with customers and remain responsible for sales and aftersales. He also intends to spend more time on the company’s long-term zero-emission strategy.
“Our focus is on creating a first-class experience for our customers, business partners, government agencies and, of course, the end users of our products.”
Brett Poulton has replaced industry stalwart Ivan Pitcher in the role of national after sales and customer experience manager, besides the Melbourne operation, Brett will also be managing Volgren`s interstate aftersales operations. Yuri thanked Ivan for his three decades of service to Volgren; he began at the company in 1982, left in 2012, and then returned in 2017 to take the position of customer experience manager.
“It’s been a pleasure to work alongside him and witness his passion for and commitment to Volgren and our customers. He leaves big shoes to fill and we’re delighted to have Brett Poulton join our team.
“Brett is a highly skilled professional in the aftersales and customer relationship area and has extensive experience working with global OEMs Mercedes and Scania. One of Brett’s key responsibilities will be changing the way we communicate with customers and creating a proactive environment for them. We want to be ahead of the demand and Brett will play a very important role in making sure we are.”
Commenting on Jon Tozer’s move back to Volgren, Yuri said there was widespread excitement to have Jon back ‘home’.
“Jon is a true industry legend who is highly regarded among operators and OEMs and he brings exceptional experience into our well established sales team.
“Jon will be heading national projects and will be responsible to explore new products and markets, focusing in zero emission developments, so Volgren can continue its successful journey to zero emission.”
Yuri said one central element of the restructure was bringing the customer experience function within Volgren’s aftersales department.
“We want to offer the best aftersales experience to all our customers. This department is key for us and is much more than warranting and providing parts to the market. We want to be the information bridge between the market and the business.
“Customer feedback on vehicles is extremely important. It allows us to translate customer requirements into product improvements and bring new, relevant solutions to operators.”
Commenting on his two years at Volgren and the changes he’s witnessed within the industry during that time, Yuri said the speed of the market shift to zero-emission technologies was remarkable.
”All traditional players globally, Volgren and Marcopolo included, are investing a lot of time and resources into understanding how to best provide zero-emission transport solutions.
“The traditional bus industry business model that shaped the sector for decades is definitely going through a massive transition; new partnerships and players will become a vital part of our future. I look forward to developing these essential new relationships into the future.”
