Basingstoke: Xcel Sales appoints Kevin Gaskell as chairman

Hampshire-based lead generation agency Xcel Sales has appointed serial entrepreneur and business growth specialist Kevin Gaskell as its new chairman. Gaskell brings with him a hugely successful track record of leading some of the world’s most prestigious brands as well as helping growing companies to scale rapidly.

The last quarter of 2016 was an extraordinary time for Xcel, landing several high-profile clients including Towergate, Lorica, TL Dallas, PIB Insurance Brokers and Peninsula; and founder and CEO Nicola Hartland is looking to expand Xcel’s team considerably over the course of 2017. 

She said: “I’m delighted to have Kevin on board at such an exciting time for us. We are growing strongly and thriving. I feel the reason for this is our focus on the human touch, which has never been more important, particularly for insurers and professional services. Rather than relying on digital marketing alone, sometimes it takes someone to actually pick the phone up and hold a conversation before a new customer feels that they can fully trust a business.”

Gaskell has previously led a number of iconic brands, including Porsche, Lamborghini and BMW. At just 32, he led the team which rebuilt the Porsche brand to create the UK’s most profitable car company. During this spell, he also revived the fortunes of Lamborghini GB following its acquisition.

From here, he recorded four years of record growth at the helm of BMW which achieved a 500% increase in profitability during his time as managing director. He was recognised as one of the “top 40 leaders under 40” in the UK. Further success followed in the form of two online automotive brands. The first, EurotaxGlass’s, was built into a global data provider before being sold for €500 million, and the second, Epyx, was built into Europe’s leading automotive e-commerce platform before being sold in 2008. More recently, Gaskell has invested and supported the development of a number of fast-growing technology companies.

He explained his motivation for joining Xcel. “I am delighted to have invested in Xcel Sales and to be joining the group as chairman. I was attracted by the determination and leadership of Nicola and her team and by the progress that they have made in establishing the business as a key player in sales generation for the insurance and professional services sectors. By harnessing the enthusiasm and knowledge in the team, I believe that we can build a very substantial business with the objective to become the clear market leader in the sector.”

Xcel plans to double its team size by the end of 2017 to cater for the growing demand for specialist lead generation services.

Hartland added: “By recognising the needs of our rapidly expanding client base we have developed a distinctive range of product and services. The demand for our innovative approach to providing quality sales leads to our customers is leading to a rapid growth in our revenues. I anticipate that we will enjoy growth above 50% in 2017 – and we are only just changing into second gear.”

Gaskell was guest speaker at The Business Magazine’s most recent Southern Entrepreneurs private dinner.  For a write-up of the event click here.