Neil Smith

Neil was Operations Director for Imperial Cars from 2010 to the point of acquisition by Cazoo in July 2020. During his tenure at Imperial, the business experienced accelerated growth moving from retailing 80 used cars per month from one retail outlet to 2000+ cars per month from 17 retail outlets. Imperial Cars was no. 7 in the UK independent vehicle retailing space in early 2020 in relation to sales volume. As Operations Director Neil's responsibility/oversight extended to all departments within Imperial from buying through to sales and everything in between. With a particular focus on the digital marketing/sales aspect of used vehicle retailing Neil was instrumental in the development of the Imperial website, which in 2015/2016, won a number of awards for its 'world class' user experience and the level of innovation exhibited in the presentation of the vehicles and associated data. 

Once acquired by Cazoo Neil was appointed Retail Operations Director with a remit to transition the Imperial teams, processes, and locations across to Cazoo. In November 2020, that transition was completed with the final Imperial retail outlet closing for refurbishment. Neil then exited Cazoo to enjoy semi-retirement and spend quality time with his family.

Since semi-retiring, Neil now applies his expert knowledge to a wide range of clients including digital technology suppliers, lenders and used car retailers of all sizes in the UK and in Europe.  

Neil is an acknowledged expert and influencer in the UK Automotive industry regularly presenting at industry events and a guest columnist in AM Magazine and contributor to both Car Dealer and Motor Trader magazines.