BYD makes four key appointments in its Sales department
23 December 2025 BYD UK has bolstered its growing sales and aftersales teams with a mix of new appointments and promotions for key staff.
Marcus Hazelwood joins the business as Head of Retail Sales. He brings a huge wealth of experience to BYD UK, having moved from his role as Head of Manufacturer/OEM at Autotrader, with previous stints at Ineos Automotive, Nissan and Volkswagen Group. The new role will see Marcus lead the 11-strong team spread across regional postings and sales operatives based at BYD HQ in Uxbridge.
Beyond this new introduction to the team, BYD is also delighted to announce that three existing members have been promoted into new roles. Due to the company’s significant success in both fleet sales and the growing importance of remarketing for the brand, the two areas now have dedicated resources, allowing greater focus on each side of the business.
These changes have seen Claudio de Freitas promoted to Head of Fleet Sales in the UK, from his previous role as National Contract Hire & Leasing Manager. Alongside this change, Malcolm Fryer, who joined BYD in 2023 following a stint at Ineos Automotive, now becomes the UK’s Head of Remarketing & Fleet Operations.
Thomas Brady also becomes BYD UK’s Network Lead, moving on from his previous position as Network Development Manager. This vital role sees him overseeing the expansion of BYD’s dealership network; in a short timeframe he has already played a significant part in the brand’s UK expansion to 38 dealer network partners over the course of 2025.
Speaking on the announcement of the new appointments, Steve Beattie, Deputy Country Manager of BYD UK, said:
“I’d like to warmly welcome Marcus to the business, and I’m delighted that Malcolm, Claudio, and Tom have worked so hard during their time here to grow into these increasingly important roles. I’d like to particularly thank Malcolm for the outstanding work he has done in setting up our fleet team and for now moving across to help drive our remarketing strategy forward. I’m very confident that we have the right people in the right places to ensure BYD continues its strong growth in the UK throughout 2026.”
About BYD
BYD is a multinational high-tech company devoted to leveraging technological innovations for a better life. Founded in 1994 as a rechargeable battery maker, BYD now boasts a diverse business scope covering automobiles, rail transit, new energy, and electronics, with over 30 industrial parks in China, the United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Hungary, and India. From power acquisition and storage to its applications, BYD is dedicated to providing zero-emission energy solutions that reduce global reliance on fossil fuels. Its new energy vehicle footprint now covers six continents, over 100 countries and regions, and more than 400 cities. Listed in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges, the company is known to be a Fortune Global 500 enterprise that furnishes innovations in pursuit of a greener world. For more information, please visit www.bydglobal.com.
About BYD Auto
Founded in 2003, BYD Auto is the automotive subsidiary of BYD, a multinational high-tech company devoted to leveraging technological innovations for a better life. Aiming to accelerate the green transition of the global transportation sector, BYD Auto focuses on developing pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The company has mastered the core technologies of the entire industrial chain of new energy vehicles, such as batteries, electric motors, electronic controllers, and automotive-grade semiconductors. It has witnessed in recent years significant technological advancements, including the Blade Battery, the DM-i and DM-p hybrid technology, the e-Platform 3.0, the CTB and iTAC technologies, the DiSus Intelligent Body Control System, the XUANJI Architecture, and the Super e-Platform. The company is the world’s first carmaker to stop the production of fossil-fueled vehicles on EV shift and has remained top of new energy passenger vehicle sales in China for 12 years in a row.
About BYD Europe
BYD Europe is headquartered in the Netherlands and is the first overseas branch of BYD Group, with a commitment to evolving the international brand BYD Auto to deliver safe and efficient sustainable solutions in new energy vehicles through world-leading technological innovations.
For more information, please visit www.byd.com.
Contacts:
Mike Gale
Head of PR, BYD UK
E: michael.gale@byd.com
M: +44 7908 905678
Rachel Goodwin
PR Manager, BYD UK
E: rachel.goodwin@byd.com
M: +44 7399 678373
Alex Ingram
Press Officer, BYD UK
E: alex.ingram@byd.com
M: +44 7539 534571
